A Change Of Scenery
by Nodakskip
Summary: A series of mine that I should have posted along time ago. Number 3 was co authored with Theo.Xander gets picked for the Stargate Atlantis mission.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** A Change Of Scenery  
**Authors:** Nodakskip  
**Emails: **Nodakskip at aol dot com  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own any Buffy, Angel, Stargate SG-1 or Stargate Atlantis references; they belong to their various owners, world without end, amen.

**Symbols: **" " indicates speech, ( _italics_ ) indicates thoughts, # # indicates radio communication.

**A/N:** I know I say all my fics will be a one shot. But for a long time, this one will be. Because I have way too much to work on.

**Summary:** My first Buffy/Stargate Atlantis crossover 

**Unknown planet, Pegasus galaxy**

**22:00 hours, 2004**

Xander Harris stood on the balcony of what he guessed was an apartment of some sort. The tower he and his unit had searched over the last few days, had been shown to have similar accommodations throughout the entire space.

The general consensus was that it had been the living quarters for the Ancients, a race of humanoids from unthinkably long ago, that had built this city, and then moved it so VERY far away from Earth.

Someday, the expedition members might move into these units. That felt weird to Xander. To live in an apartment that had last been used possibly millions of years ago...

But that wouldn't happen in the near future. Not unless they solved their power supply troubles. The Stargate, and any other defenses or weapons, were the main priority for the time being.

#Harris, come in.#

Xander sighed, as he pulled out the small radio. "This is Harris, go ahead."

The voice of his team leader spoke through the tiny speaker. #We're turning in for the night. Going to start fresh on the next tower tomorrow.#

The young man who had once been possessed during the Halloween of 1997 pressed the talk button. "Understood. I'm just enjoying the view, I'll be down in a little while."

#Roger that, g'night.#

"Night," Xander said softly, as he put the radio back in his pocket. Looking back towards the unknown ocean that went out as far as the eye could see, the interstellar traveller thought back to one of his last few nights on planet Earth...

**Flashback**

**The residence of Rupert Giles, headquarters of the new Watchers Council**

**Bath, England**

**Early 2004**

"Now, c'mon Xander - are you going to tell us where the hell you've been for over seven months, or what?" Buffy the vampire Slayer asked pointedly, voicing the question so many in the room had been wondering.

Xander slowly shook his head, as he looked over the large group of people that were seated at the large table in Giles' new, huge home. ( _She WOULD ask that..._ )

"No. Because I can't," he told Buffy simply. "Just like I can't tell you how I was able to get my eye fixed." The former Zeppo wished he could tell them, but saying that he'd gotten his left eye restored to perfect working order by an alien hand-held healing device was not something he thought that even this group would believe...

At least, not at first and not without proof other than his mere word.

"Hey! You have to give us something here, Xander!" Willow demanded. "You quit the Council and just drop off the face of the earth after your time in Africa, and now you just show up here with no explanation?"

The man looked at her, somewhat confused and suspicious. "Yeah, but wait - wait - wait. You mean you didn't try to do any locator spells on me, after I left?"

"Well, of course I did!" Ms. Rosenberg told him honestly. "But, uh...your track record with magic must have screwed them up somehow."

"What do you mean?" Harris asked, now interested.

She shrugged. "Well, a few times it said you were underground in Colorado somewhere, then more than once I couldn't find you anywhere on the planet!" Willow quickly sat up straight, when she saw the look on her old friend's face. "What are you smirking at?"

"Nothing, Wills," Xander finished his water before he spoke again. "Look, guys, I've been...working with some people. I fell into it all by accident, really, but I've seen a bunch of stuff that kinda shocked me. Even after all our years in Sunnydale!"

"New demon species?" Giles asked, intrigued.

"Well..." Xander considered. "Some people I've met call them demons. But parasites would be a better term."

"Parasites?" Kennedy wondered aloud.

"You mean, like, that whole Bezoars deal from junior year?" Buffy asked, her face screwing up at the memories.

Xander shrugged, "Yeah, sort of. But also they're a lot smarter..." He used his napkin to wipe his mouth, before dropping the real reason for his visit back to the Council. "Okay, look...bottom line, the people I work for have put together an expedition team, and I'm on it."

"An expedition?" Dawn liked the sound of that. "Oh, can I go?"

"You still have to finish high school," Buffy told her younger sister before turning back to Xander. "Where is this team going?"

"That's classified. And don't look at me like that, Buffy; I can't tell you, so deal with it," Xander told her. "Plus you wouldn't believe me, even if I could."

"It sounds like it could be a rousing adventure," Andrew spoke up in his fake 'I'm James Bond' type voice.

"Yeah, guess it will be," Xander answered, not even bothering to get annoyed at the younger man. "I'm thrilled that I got picked to go, to be honest. I just squeaked by and got on the lists; but when they found out that I had the gene-"

"What gene?" Robin inquired from his spot near Faith.

Xander wanted to kick himself for violating Project Atlantis operational secrecy. "Sorry. Can't say."

"Xander..." Buffy said in a low voice. She didn't like not having a clue what her oldest male friend was secretly doing; and the superiority complex she had developed after eight years of being the Slayer, forced her to think she had a right to know what Harris was about to get up to.

But he gave her a sympathetic look. "Look, Buff, for the moment we're not even sure if we can make the trip or not. But if we can, then we're definitely going - and this is my last chance to say goodbye. Guys, I just wanted to see all you guys before I go-"

"What aren't you telling us, Xander?" Willow demanded to know. She could tell he was holding something back.

Ah well, he had known this wouldn't go over well. With a sigh, Harris looked right at his oldest childhood friend. "It could be a one-way trip, the brass thinks we'll be able to get there...but there may be no way to get back home. Ever."

Xander would remember the looks on his companions' faces for the rest of his life.

**End Flashback**

That night had been almost two months ago now. The Stargate at the Earth-based SGC had been able to make connection to the 'gate here in the Pegasus galaxy. The only trouble was that that nasty old 'we may never be able to return home' speech given by the expedition leader Doctor Elizabeth Weir before they'd arrived, had proven accurate.

The submerged city's power supply had been depleted over the few million years by the force shield that had kept the planet's ocean water at bay. Because of their arrival, the power drain had become worse by sections of the city turning on and draining the power even faster.

The shield had failed shortly after the group had arrived, but the city must have had some built-in program for that contingency. Because as soon as the shield had failed, the city had risen to the planetary surface all on its own.

So now the intergalactic expedition was living in the floating lost city of Atlantis, on a planet that they didn't even know the name of yet. And just like what always seemed to happen to the new kids on the block, they had made a few friends, and some very nasty enemies.

"Since when did you start doing the Star Trek stuff, Xander?"

Harris's eyes went wide in shock. He quickly pulled up his P90 submachine gun, as he whirled around to see a person he knew was DEAD. "Cordelia?!!"

"Yeah, it's me you big doofus!" Ms. Chase responded, from her spot a ways into the room. "Now, you mind pointing that thing somewhere else?" she asked, referring to his weapon as its laser sight glowed on her chest.

Xander ignored her request, as he took a second to look her over - before lowering his weapon. Featurewise, she looked how Angel and Wesley had described her, after the big ghostly visit thing earlier in the year.

Hell, Cordy looked almost like she had when he had seen her at her open casket funeral...

What Xander took most notice of, however, was her clothes. She now had on a white robe and what looked like thin white armour on her torso. An exact match to the outfit the Ancient woman wore in the holographic recording that they had found the first day.

And oh yeah, she had a very bright golden glow all over her body.

"What the hell?!" Xander practically yelled.

"Geez, take it easy, will you!?" Cordelia told him, as she moved quickly to him. And Xander didn't move, as she hugged him tightly.

That just seemed to anger the former cheerleader. "Well, are you going to hug me or not?!"

That was enough to trigger old memories, and finally convinced Harris quickly hugged her back. "Cordy-"

"God, Harris!" she told him as they parted. "You still know how to make a girl feel like crap!" Cordelia moved over to sit in one of the chairs nearby. The golden glow didn't fade at all as she said, "I mean, here I am overjoyed that I can come and talk to an old friend, and he doesn't even bother to be happy to see me!"

"Ah, well, there is that thing where you're kind of dead," Xander told the woman, as he sat across from her. "That's normally a bad indicator."

"Well, about that..." the former seer said, before looking him directly in the eyes. "I'm not really dead, even though my mortal body is rotting somewhere back on Earth. I'm...ascended. They let me do that thing with Angel, then I had to go-" she trailed off. "Sorry, I really can't tell you where I...ah...live now."

**Doctor Elizabeth Weir's office**

**Thirty minutes later**

The lead team of the Atlantis expedition sat in the window-encased room. Dr. Rodney McKay paced, annoyed. "Did Harris say what all this was about?"

"Just calm down, Rodney," Dr. Weir told him.

"But this is totally against procedure!" McKay continued, aggravated. "The rules are that if you find something, you leave it where it is and call the rest of us in. You do not bring it here!"

Lieutenant Ford shared an amused look with Major Sheppard. Both the Marine and Air Force officer liked it how easily some people seemed to get under McKay's skin. "Do we know what exactly the fuss is about?" the major asked.

"Well, he said it was important," Dr. Beckett, the team's medical doctor, spoke in his Scottish accent in defense of his friend. "And come on, Xander has been as professional as the rest of the team members. If he said it-"

"Yes, fine!" McKay said, cutting him off. "Let's just bend the rules, on his say-so!"

At that moment, they all heard a tapping on the glass doorway. Dr. Weir pressed the button on her desk, and Harris walked into the office before the door slid closed behind him. "Sorry to call you all together so late, but-"

"You didn't even bring it?!" McKay exclaimed as he saw Xander's empty hands.

Xander grinned as he looked over to Major Sheppard. "He overdosed on coffee AGAIN?"

When the question caused a snicker between the military men, McKay sighed. "Yes, let's all make fun of the one man who actually gives a damn about procedure!"

Xander took his seat next to Dr. Beckett, "Pal, if I were you - I would calm down."

Weir cut in before another argument could be formed between Harris and McKay, she had heard them too many times even in the short time this expedition had started. "What's this thing you have to show us, Mr. Harris?"

"It's not a thing," Xander told the expedition leader. "It's a who."

"Who?" Sheppard asked, sitting up straighter. "There's someone else here? On Atlantis?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah, but you can relax, she's friendly...well, unless you're a badly dressed high school freshman!" He looked up slightly. "Cordy?"

"Who are you-" McKay started to ask, when he and most of the others shot up from their chairs.

Because a human-looking woman appeared in a flash of light.

"An Ancient?" Dr. Beckett asked, amazed, taking in her clothes.

"You found another recording?" Weir asked quickly to Xander.

"Ah, no," Cordelia Chase, the ascended version, said to Weir. "I'm live here, not Memorex."

"Memorex?" Ford demanded, not getting it.

Cordelia groaned, as she looked at the young lieutenant. "God! You're older than me. You should know that old TV commercial!"

"You know about TV commercials?" Weir asked the woman, surprised.

Seeing the surprised looks turning to confusion, Cordelia turned to Xander. "A little help, Dweeb Boy?"

"Dr. Weir," Xander said, ignoring McKay's snicker. "Allow me to introduce Cordelia Chase. We, uh, we went to high school together."

"You went to high school with an Ancient?!" Weir asked, completely dumbstruck.

"Hey!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Like I said, Ford here is older than me. And do I look ancient to you? Do you see any wrinkles around these hazel eyes? I'm thinkin' NOT!!!" Then as an afterthought she turned back to Xander. "That's one of the upsides to this ascension gig, you know. I can look any age I want!"

"Okay, can we please stay on topic here?" McKay called out, getting aggravated again.

Cordelia just looked at him. "Geez, pal...decaf. Look into it."

"How did you go to high school with Xander?" Dr. Beckett asked her, as Cordelia sat down next to Xander's chair.

But before Cordy could answer him, Xander told her, "No beam me up Scotty jokes, please Cor."

The woman sighed before she answered. "Whatever! I was born on Earth, in Sunnydale, alongside the dorkhead here," she said, jabbing a thumb back to Xander. "1981 through 2003, I lived a few lives you could say. One was as Xander's girlfriend, but after our breakup I moved to LA. There I got a job as a mystical Vision Girl to a friend…until it got me killed," Cordy finished up, leaving out all the details about vampires and the Powers That Be.

Because frankly, she was beyond the Powers now. Finally. Thank God.

"So you definitely ascended the same way that Dr. Jackson did?" Dr. Weir asked, trying to understand.

"Well, not the first time," Cordelia responded. "But the second time, I went all glowing squid, yeah."

"This is unbelievable!" Dr. McKay said, his excitement at fever pitch. "So, so, you're here to help us learn how to use the technology in this city? Because we need-"

"Sorry, but that would be a big fat no," Cordelia said honestly. "Not all of the big glowy people are happy that you're here, ya see. But those ones aren't the ones in charge, luckily for you."

"Who exactly is in charge?" Weir asked.

"Again, sorry, but I can't tell you jack squat," Cordelia told her, knowing it wasn't what Weir wanted to hear. "There is this rule that we don't interfere in the affairs of mortals. Even the ones that take up squatting in our old city."

"Then why are you here?" Sheppard wanted to know.

"Well," Cordelia mused. "As far as what you call being an Ancient goes...I'm really young. Meaning, I don't know all that much about this whole deal yet. Which means I can't let slip something that I don't know. It's common knowledge in the...community, that you're here in Atlantis, but no one else had a reason to come talk to you guys."

Looking at Xander, she summed it up, "However - when I saw that a friend of mine was here, I kind of begged for the right to visit. I plan on hanging out a lot here, it's been too long since I've been able to tease my old sparring partner-"

"You can't give us ANY information?" Weir asked, disappointed. "Not even about the Wraith?"

"Yeah," Sheppard added. "Maybe their battle tactics, or any weaknesses they have?"

"Sorry," Cordelia told both of them. "The little I've learned about the Wraith though, has taught me one thing. That I don't want Xander here anywhere near them, ever! Other than that...my lips are unfortunately sealed."

**An unknown moon on the other side of the Pegasus galaxy**

**A week later**

Xander and Lieutenant Ford held up their hands, as the Wraith soldier stood before them. "I don't suppose we could talk about this?" the formerly one-eyed guy asked.

"I don't know if they CAN talk, man," Ford said, not taking his eyes off the end of the weird pole-like weapon of this galaxy's bad guy.

"Oh, crap!" Xander uttered as the Wraith took aim. There was nothing to hide behind in the open field they were in. But just before the enemy fired, a voice was heard.

"God! Just look at that outfit!" Cordelia Chase exclaimed, as she appeared on the other side of the Wraith. "What, do you have a pre-Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger fetish!?"

Surprised, the Wraith looked back...and that was when Xander grabbed his P90 and opened fire.

Cordelia jumped back in disgust, as the Wraith fell after several bullets hit it. "Oh, that is just...ick!"

Xander made for his ex-girlfriend, while Ford grabbed the fallen Wraith's weapon. "Thanks for the distraction, Cor," he told her. "But I thought you couldn't interfere with us mortals?"

"Who's interfering?" Cordelia said with a wink. "I'm just here seeing if you're gonna be free to hang out tonight." Looking at the Wraith on the ground she added, "I mean - it's not my fault that he, or it, or whatever the hell you wanna say to describe this fashion victim, was surprised to see me!"

Harris's reply was cut off, when the Wraith started to move again. "We have to go!" Ford called.

Xander growled, "I REALLY want to know how to kill these things!" Taking off with Ford, he called back, "See you back home, Cordy!"

Cordelia Chase watched the two men run off in the direction of the Ancient puddle jumper ship, and then she turned her attention to the freakish Wraith soldier as it got back up. "Oh, don't even get me started on your hair!" she told it in despair, before the woman vanished in a flash of light.

**Atlantis Base**

**Later that day**

"Do you have any three's?"

As the two sat Indian-style on a large balcony 22 stories up, Cordelia checked her cards. "Nope. Go fish."

Xander scowled as he drew a new card. "I can tell you this much," the former Zeppo told her. "This is SO not how I thought we would end up!"

"What?" Cordelia asked him. "You didn't see yourself fighting a disgusting enemy on the other side of the universe, while I became a dead-slash-ascended glowworm?"

"Ah, yeah," Harris replied before he asked, "Got any seven's?"

"Two," Cordy said, as she set the cards in the pile. "You want to know the worst of it?"

"I'm afraid to ask," the man said honestly.

"Well, I'm technically dead," she said. "But you're only 23 years old. I don't - I do NOT look forward to seeing the other crap you'll get into, in this galaxy!"

"Well...it's always nice to have something to aim for in life," was Xander's calm reply, as he contemplated the future - and idly wondered if he himself would one day ascend, and join his former honey on the other side of the rainbow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** A Change Of Scenery 2  
**Authors:** Nodakskip

**Emails: **Nodakskip at aol dot com  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own any Buffy, Angel, Stargate SG-1 or Stargate Atlantis references; they belong to their various owners, world without end, amen. Those parts of the story taken directly from the show episodes belong to the writers in question.

**Symbols: **" " indicates speech, ( _italics_ ) indicates thoughts, # # indicates radio communication.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to my first Buffy/Stargate Atlantis crossover. Been a while, but I hope it's worth the wait for you all. Hey, why are you people rolling your eyes? I WARNED you way back when!

**Summary: **Set in the last few eps of Atlantis season one and the first of season two.

**Head office of WC, Inc. a.k.a. The Watchers Council Main Office, London, England**

**Tuesday March 29****th**** 2005**

**1:43 PM**

The head receptionist looked up in surprise from the large marble desk to see a man standing in front of her.

A man in full-dress United States Air Force uniform.

"Ca...can I help you, sir?" she asked, as her foot hit the button to alert the guards that something might be happening.

The officer took his hat off and spoke very firmly. "I'm Major Paul Davis, U.S. Air Force. I'm here to see Rupert Giles and his staff."

"Ah, I'm sorry. But Mr. Giles has a full schedule today," the woman replied. "If you would like to make an appointment, I might be able to squeeze you in sometime in the middle of next week-"

"I don't think you understand me," Major Davis replied calmly. "I'm not here to make an appointment. I need to see him now, as this is a matter that I know for a fact he will be very interested in. I'm here on official business-"

"She just said he was already booked solid for a week," a female voice said behind him.

Davis turned to see three young women, all in their twenties, standing behind him. "Ladies," he said pleasantly. "I assume you're the security detail?"

"You assume correctly," Slayer Vanessa Marsh said. "Look, Major. Mr. Giles has many people coming to him from various governments, and all of them saying they want to talk to him immediately. Most of them…"

"...just want to take over complete control of the Council," Davis finished. "Yes, I know."

The three girls straightened up at that. "What's your business here?" asked Marsh.

"Nothing that need cause an altercation between me and three vampire Slayers," Davis replied. "I have news for Mr. Giles from Alexander Harris."

One of the Slayers perked up at that. "You have news from Xander?"

Davis pulled out a DVD from his pocket. "I think Mr. Giles can find room on his schedule now-"

"We all can."

Davis looked to the inner doors and he saw a very attractive brunette young woman. "Dawn Summers, pleasure to meet you."

**Main conference room, top floor**

**A while later**

Many Sunnydale alumni, along with the few Slayers that were activated there, sat around the large table. The only ones who were not present were Spike, Robin Wood and Faith, who were running the Cleveland Hellmouth operation.

"He's not hurt, is he?" Willow asked Davis in a worried tone.

As he handed the DVD to the Slayer beside him, Davis replied, "The file forwarded to me indicated Mr. Harris was slightly wounded a couple of months ago, but has since completely recovered."

"I take it the file you speak of is on that disc?" Giles asked from the head chair.

"No," Davis told him. "All those files are classified. This is all that you have been cleared to see."

The DVD was put into the player, and the projection TV screen slid down as the room went dark. The Slayer hit play, as soon as Buffy nodded at her sister Chosen to do so.

A woman in her thirties appeared on screen in a lightly light room. "Hello, my name is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, and I'm in charge of the expedition that your loved one is on."

"I've heard of her. She's worked with NATO before, I believe," Giles whispered to Buffy.

"SHHH!" hissed Dawn and Willow.

"I would like to say something to the families of every member of this expedition," Weir's image spoke again. "I wish I could tell you more about what your loved ones are doing – and some day I hope you find out, because you will be amazed. But I will tell you that I could not be more proud of each and every one of them. Their heroism has amazed me."

"Oh…" Willow stuttered. She now wanted to know exactly what kind of expedition this was, more than ever. For she had not been able to get past any of the government firewalls online.

"…their resourcefulness has staggered me," Weir kept on, before her face got serious. "We face a terrible enemy and an uncertain future, but if we are never heard from again, please know that your loved ones did not face that uncertainty alone. We are facing our future together."

As Weir's image faded to black, Davis quickly saw every face in the room looking his way unhappily. "Before you all ask, no, I won't explain. Just play the last chapter."

"This had better be good!" Buffy warned.

The face of Xander Harris showed on screen next. He was in a dark colored jacket with his name on it, and a U.S. flag patch on his arm. A lot of technical equipment was behind him, and Willow for one was instantly suspicious...

"Hey, guys!" Harris said with a smile and slight wave. "I know if I was there with you right now, I would be getting my ass kicked for not getting in touch sooner, but since we're not even sure this will work..."

Xander leaned back on his stool. "Well. I guess you've already heard that my people here and I have something kinda big coming at us, and let me say it's something that's even bigger than anything I've faced before in the 'dale. Believe me, I would rather be fighting Glory right now! At least she had only a few minions…"

He smiled briefly. "I know that on hearing this Buffy, Willow and Dawn are gonna start demanding that I come home immediately, because they're sure I'm gonna get hurt. Well, sorry, but that's not going to happen. What's going on here is maybe the most important thing I have ever done, and that includes our...extracurricular activities during the last 7 years of Sunnydale's existence. Look, I just want you all to know that if I go down…it will be fighting. They're not getting our new home on my watch, even if I have to make ANOTHER place go boom..."

With a slight smirk Xander added, "I should mention that I've run into an old…friend here, though I can't tell you guys who because of the big classified red tape-"

A voice off-camera said it was time to wrap it up so Xander nodded, "Yeah, Ford, I know. Gotta go, Giles and gals, we've got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in. Take care of each other, and if worst comes to worst don't ever forget me…"

The DVD ended. The lights came on. And Major Paul Davis, U.S. Air Force, almost gulped at the looks on the faces of a lot of angry females.

**Sector Charlie 5, Tower 4, Atlantis City**

**April, 2005**

Xander looked up from helping the wounded officer, as they heard the talk over the radio.

"Oh my God. Their approach is ballistic," Dr. Zelenka said worriedly, after seeing what was on his screen.

Weir demanded straightaway, "What exactly does that mean?"

"Their impact velocities will be in excess of ten thousand kilometers an hour," the short Czech scientist replied. "No part of the city can withstand that…"

"Damn it!" Xander cursed. "We just get the last damn Hive ship, and then they go kamikaze on us!"

"Why should anything go right for us now, sir?" the private helping him asked sarcastically.

"It would just be nice, that's all," Xander shrugged. "I really have to use the bathroom."

#You'd better get the damned shield up!# Major Sheppard's voice came from the newly-arrived battleship _Daedalus__ bridge in orbit._

Weir checked her own panel. "How much time do we have?"

Zelenka looked up with little hope. "Forty-five seconds!"

Dr. Weir activated her comm unit. "Rodney, we need the shield up in 40 seconds or we're dead!"

**ZPM Power Station, elsewhere in Atlantis**

**The same time**

Rodney McKay was just slowly putting the Ancient power unit in its slot when the message came through. "What, are you kidding me?!"

#No!# Weir's voice came back quickly.

McKay shook his head at yet another problem showing up. "'Cause I can't help but thinking we're reaching the point at which I completely snap!"

#Rodney!# Weir yelled back, upset but well used to Dr. McKay's mindset.

McKay inserted the crystal ZPM into its slot all the way, and it glowed yellow. "That should do it!" He hit the comm on the control panel. #Fire it up!#

After a few tiny moments, Weir's voice came back. #That didn't do it.#

"What?!" McKay demanded.

Teyla came back from covering the door. "It is not working."

"I know what she said!" McKay yelled at her, before he ran over to the ZPM.

#Twenty seconds!#

McKay snapped his fingers in rage. "OK, snap! That's it! You all happy now?!"

#Rodney!# Weir yelled again.

McKay tried to twist and then push down on the ZPM. After a spilt second, the power source descended into the power unit. "Okay, okay, okaaaaay," he said happily. "Try it now!"

**Atlantis Control Room**

**The same time**

Zelenka sighed hugely, as his screen lit up and he activated the shield. "Yes!"

Weir and Xander rushed out to the outside balcony and watched in awe, as the massive energy shield rose from all around the center. Only half a second later, thousands of Wraith fighters crashed headlong into it like bugs on a windshield.

Xander lost count of how many explosions he was seeing, but he was guessing this was the first time in a long while that the Wraith pilots had gotten their asses handed to them. "Intense!"

Sheppard's voice came in garbled over the comm. channel. #Elizabeth...I repeat...this is Sheppard. What is your status?#

Zelenka came over to them. "The explosions must have disrupted radio signals."

Weir activated her comm unit. "We're still here. That's our status."

She could almost see Sheppard starting to breathe again. #Don't scare me like that!#

"Sorry," Weir said, smiling at the last of the Darts exploding. "What about the Wraith fleet?"

The stern voice of Colonel Caldwell, commanding officer of the _Daedalus __cut in._#The remaining cruisers have withdrawn from the battle. They've entered hyperspace.#

Weir and all the staff grinned at that, as Xander high-fived the private working with him. "Thank you, Colonel. I thank all of you."

#Glad to be of help,# Caldwell called back. #We're gonna stay in geosynchronous orbit for the time being. Can we be of any further assistance?#

"We could use some help with the Wraith in the city," Weir told him quickly, remembering the fight above was over, but they still had bad guys to deal with.

Caldwell answered right away, #We'll send in some people to help with that. Daedalus out.#

Weir turned to her fellow civilian, who she had come to rely on quite a bit lately. "Xander, we've lost contact with a few teams. See if you can get some Athosians to help with the searching. We're spread way too thin till the reinforcements come."

"Got it!" Xander said, as he and the private ran down the massive stairs. "But first I've got to hit the head…and my luck, that's where the Wraith will be."

"I've got your back, sir!" the private told him simply.

As they rounded a hallway, Xander almost laughed. "Never thought I would need to be armed to take a leak around here!"

**Atlantis Infirmary**

**Some time later**

Sheppard was trying not to look horrified at the brash, middle-aged colonel that had shown up and taken military command of the city just before the attack. A Wraith had attacked him and begun to feed off of him. Now Colonel Everett looked to be in his late 70's, his life force drained before the Wraith had been killed.

"We've neutralized the Hive ships, activated the shields, and, uh, we've mustered as many people as we can, making sure there's no Wraith hiding in the shadows," the major reported.

Everett's right hand was up and shaking badly. He looked very weak. "Good work, Major."

"Thank you, sir."

Everett looked him right in the eyes. "They're shipping me out with the next batch of wounded. I want to finish our conversation from earlier."

Sheppard got uncomfortable at once, not wanting the old man to waste time yelling at him some more. "Yes, sir."

"I...owe you an apology," the colonel told him.

Sheppard's eyes opened wide in surprise. "No, sir, you don't-"

"I think I have a pretty good idea!" Everett cut him off. "I would have done the same thing as you did when you found Colonel Sumner. It's what I wanted to tell you."

Sheppard didn't like ever talking about how he'd shot and killed his former CO, after a Wraith had drained him. "Well, none of that matters right now, sir."

"I'm trying to say..." Everett got out, fighting back tears as he saw his shaking hand. "I wish you had also been there for me."

"You're gonna be fine, sir, once you get back to Earth..." Sheppard started to say, but the colonel cut him off.

"I've said what I had to say. Get back to work."

Sheppard didn't know what to do for a moment, before standing at full attention and saluting his superior officer. "Yes, sir!"

**The Ancients' Higher Plane of Existence**

**Later on**

"What do you mean, they're fine!?" Cordelia demanded of the beings in front of her. "Ford is all weird now because of that Wraith, and so many others are dead or dying!"

"The actions of the beings on that plane are not for us to directly intervene upon," one ascended being told her.

"I don't believe this!" Cordelia yelled. "All of you inadvertently created the damn Wraith, and then after YOU ascend - to hell with everyone else?!"

"They must achieve what they will on their own," another of the ascended said. "We cannot help in every human battle, you know this. If we help here, then why not take sides in every war that has ever been fought?" The being shook its glowing head. "No…if we take action now, we will be no different than the Ori."

"Screw them!" Cordelia said hotly.

"Cordelia," the so-called leader of the assembled Ancients said sharply. "That is enough. We know that you were asked by your friend Alexander to come ask us for help…but you should have known from the start it is something that we cannot do."

"And you still refuse to let me ascend him at least to keep Xander safe, right? Unbelievable!" Chase growled out. "First your damn leftover Gate network and tech helps the Goa'uld take over for thousands of years, and now you just look the other way when the Wraith-"

"It is true that what we did on that plane long ago has had dire consequences," the higher being told her. "Consider though an example from your homeworld…would you blame the man who first found tobacco could be smoked, for all the deaths it has caused since? Or the man who discovered the technology used to make guns, for all the killing thereafter?"

Cordelia looked away, very unhappy.

"Hardship is what all beings must face. The human friends of Daniel Jackson took on many hardships and lost countless lives, to fight for the freedom and safety of Earth. Had we just annihilated the Goa'uld for them...then the Tau'ri would not be as able as they are today to fight for their world and friends."

Suddenly, the higher being caused a scene in Atlantis's conference room to appear.

Caldwell looked at the screen in shock. "Twelve hive ships?!"

"The cruisers that got away probably called for reinforcements," Sheppard told him.

McKay sighed. "Our research shows there are at least sixty hive ships in this galaxy. I mean, who knows how many more could be on the way?"

The image changed to a space battle between the _Daedalus__ and several Wraith Hive ships. The wreckage of two Hive ships could be seen, as the __Daedalus __kept on fighting before it entered hyperspace._

_The image went white again, as the higher being resumed its narrative. "They can manage…the first battle with the Wraith lasted for many years. That enemy cannot be stopped in just one battle."_

"We know you did not originally wish to ascend," one of the Ancients told Cordelia. "You feel that your mortal life was stolen from you, and twisted to turn you into Jasmine's mother. And you cannot let go of that life you could have led. That is why you still wish to visit your friend in Atlantis, even though many here do not approve of that."

"Well, I was never one to care about rules when I thought they were wrong. Guess I'm like Oma Desala in that," Cordy said softly. "But why is it so wrong to still care about my loved ones…to not want them or a city…or a planet to die?"

"It is not at all wrong to care about others," the oldest ascended being responded. "But it is wrong when someone on a higher plane wants to…control it. All you need do is look at the Ori…the people that claim them as gods…they are without free will. The same would happen to those you care for."

"I…" Cordelia tried to think of anything, but stopped when she knew she wouldn't get anywhere. "I understand. But I can't just sit here and watch Xander and his friends die, either. Maybe when I was still the spoiled princess of Sunnydale. But not now."

"You have grown much since your first days of childhood," the elder told her. "And your friend down there is one of two responsible for your evolution. But…"

"But?" Cordy asked. "But what?"

"Some of us think you would understand better, if you completed the journey you started back in Sunnydale."

Before Cordelia could ask anything, another being spoke. "You took the first steps when you learned to care for someone other than yourself with Alexander. Then to help others, because of your visions. But you have not completed the journey that all who come here must do."

"What are you saying?" Cordelia asked worriedly.

**The East Pier, Atlantis**

**The same time**

Xander and his team were the last ones inside the airlock to the massive ship. "Okay, sir," he said into the comm for the bridge. "Everyone is onboard, hatch is sealed."

#Roger that,# a bridge officer replied back. #Stand by for weapon detonation.#

Harris watched as the exterior windows all had shutters come down, on a signal from the bridge. They were taking no chances of anyone being blinded by the flash. A female scientist in his group looked worried.

"It'll work," Harris said, trying to reassure her.

The older woman shrugged. "And if it doesn't, then we'll all be vaporized in seconds."

"There, that's the spirit!" Xander told her sarcastically.

---

High above the massive city, the nine remaining Hive ships got back into orbit over Atlantis from their firing positions and waited for the humans' next move.

It came quickly, as the nuclear warhead was beamed right outside the energy shield and detonated. The blast spread with immense speed and destruction, only an inch-thick blanket of energy protecting the city as the mushroom cloud climbed high into the air.

As soon as enough of the bomb's radiation had cleared the area, Dr. McKay switched the shield over to the new cloak they had installed. And to the world outside…the city simply vanished from the water.

#The Wraith are scanning…# the bridge officer said into the comm through the entire ship. #Stand by.#

It was a very long few minutes before the voice came on again. #This is the bridge…the Wraith fleet is breaking orbit and going into hyperspace.#

Xander suddenly heard the eruption of the ship's entire crew, and its loaded passengers screaming and yelling in joy like a kid who'd just sat through the last day of high school. He leaned against the bulkhead. "Well, that week sucked!"

An attractive female Japanese scientist, who Harris had been flirting with ever since he'd met her, leaned over to him. "Want to head back to my quarters in the second tower and celebrate?" she asked him with a leer that he would have expected to see on someone like Faith, not the proper girl he'd been flirting with for months but gotten nowhere fast.

"You serious?!" Xander couldn't believe it.

She grinned. "We just fought off fifteen Hive ships, and blasted a nuke above our heads…I am celebrating the fact that we're all still breathing!" she looked at him, deadly serious. "But it's a one-time deal…"

"Fine by me!" Harris laughed, as an officer slapped him on the back.

**Dr. Weir's office**

**Three days later**

"You're going back to Earth?" Xander asked his commander.

"The senior heads are, yes," Weir answered. "Now that we can go there and back, the SGC wants us to bring more people back to unlock this city's secrets."

"And since the Wraith think we're like the Titanic now…" Sheppard said. "It's the perfect time…so they say."

"I know you have friends back home that you'd like to see," Weir said to Xander. "But we can't let everyone come…some people have to be here to keep the lights on, as the old saying goes."

"Say no more," Xander told her. "Just tell my friends I didn't die, and I'll be fine to help look after the place."

"Thank you," Weir responded. "Report to Teyla for your assignment."

Xander nodded and got up to leave, when Sheppard came over and walked out with him. "Xander…in case Ford shows up while we're gone…"

"I'll do my best to keep him here," Xander finished. "I promise, Major. He's my best friend around this place, after all."

"Right," Sheppard said. "It's not really his fault that he did what he did to you, you know. He's just...too screwed up right now to be thinking straight."

**Atlantis Control room**

**The next morning**

Zelenka, Xander, Teyla and a few others watched as the command staff used the now ZPM-powered Stargate to return to Earth.

When the Gate shut down after the last of them had gone through, Xander grinned. "Ah, a month without the parents…okay, we have to have an all-night kegger!"

"A what?" Teyla asked him.

"A party. You know, where we can all let loose?" Harris was saying, before a large flash was seen on the Gate room floor. "What the hell? They just left!"

They all ran down to see all the security officers pointing their weapons at the balled-up form of a naked woman…a naked brunette woman.

She unrolled and looked up at the faces looking down at her. "Xander?" Cordelia asked. "What's going on…where am I?" the woman then felt the cold floor she was laying on.

"And why the HELL am I naked!?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** A Change Of Scenery 3  
**By:** Nodakskip and Starway Man

**Emails: **Nodakskip at aol dot com, theop at kew dot hotkey dot net dot au

**Disclaimer: **We don't own any Buffy, Angel, Stargate SG-1 or Stargate Atlantis references; they all belong to their various owners, world without end, amen. Some of this story is taken directly from the Stargate: Atlantis episode 2.12 "Epiphany", and so those parts of it belong to Brad Wright and Joe Flanigan.

**Symbols: **" " indicates speech, ( _italics_ ) indicates thoughts, # # indicates radio communication.

**A/N:** This is the second sequel to "A Change Of Scenery". So it'd probably help if you read those stories first.

**Summary: ** A new Stargate: Atlantis team is born.

**Uncharted solar system, Pegasus galaxy**

**August, 2005**

The Ancient puddle jumper came through the spaceborne Stargate as soon as the wormhole was activated. It was a bit of a rough ride, and the newly minted members of SGA-4 checked their scanners immediately. "I'm not picking anything up strange," Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey reported from the co-pilot's seat up front.

"Same here. Just to be safe, though, I'm engaging the cloak," the team leader Xander Harris said, as he activated the device that concealed his vessel from sight and sensors.

One of the two brunettes in the back two chairs spoke up. "It'd be just our luck to be the ones to let the Wraith know that we're still around," Cordelia Chase commented.

Xander briefly turned around to stare at her. The former ascended being finally seemed to be settling back into life as a human, but there were times when Xander wondered if becoming mortal again was just something temporary for his ex-girlfriend. ( _Well, at least she's stopped complaining about showing up naked in the Gate room that way. And my confiscating those surveillance tapes was quite possibly the smartest idea I ever came up with!_ )

"Getting something from the second planet in orbit around the star," Lieutenant Lacy Pinder said with her British accent.

"Wraith?" Harris asked as he banked the ship in the desired direction.

"Can't tell," she reported. "I could up the power, but that might cause us to be detected. We need to get closer."

"On it," Xander said simply as he increased speed, the Ancient vehicle powering through outer space under his deft guidance. He was the only one who could fly the puddle jumper, as all the others lacked the Ancient gene required to do so.

About ten minutes later as they neared their target, the ship lurched forward a bit. "What the hell was that, Dweeb Boy?" Cordelia demanded.

"Just a bit of turbulence from a solar flare," Xander told her as he checked the main screen. "And I told you before, don't call me that. Technically it should be 'sir', if you're now a member of my team."

( _As if! The day I call you 'sir' is the day I also wear orange and purple glow-in-the-dark pants!_ ) Cordelia thought to herself huffily.

"Sir, I'm now reading what looks like an energy spike of some kind…" Hailey started to say.

"I'm reading it too," Lacy reported from the rear.

"What sort of energy are we talkin' about?" Xander asked, intent on his piloting.

The honey-blonde astrophysicist frowned in the co-pilot's chair, looking at the readings. "Unknown, sir. But it's definitely coming from the second planet in the system. Near a mountain range of some sort."

"Let's go check it out," Xander said simply, heading for the site in question.

**Mountain ridge, uncharted planet**

**A short while later**

The SGA-4 team was walking along towards their target, with a complaining Cordelia saying to Lacy, "Are we almost there yet?"

"Almost…" The brunette woman was staring at a hand-held Ancient device. She paused, looked to her left and pointed. "Over there."

The team walked in the direction she'd pointed, and quickly arrived at their destination. A small cave covered by vines, and at the far end a square archway carved through the wall. Xander pulled back some trailing vines as he and his team entered and then he said, "What have we got, Lieutenant?"

"Over there, sir," Pinder said, pointing to the archway. "Through that opening, that's the source of the energy spike."

"It looks like it's the only way through the ridge, sir. The barrier runs for miles in all directions," Hailey reported, looking at her own scanner.

"So are we going in there to check it out or what?" Cordelia asked impatiently.

"Hang on," Pinder said, taking some more readings. "There's some kind of energy barrier around the threshold."

Harris looked at the doorway for a moment, then picked up a large pebble on the ground. Like the Little League baseball player he'd once been, the SGA-4 commander quickly tossed it towards the doorway. As the pebble reached the threshold, a blue light glowed around it; and after it went through the energy field, the stone disappeared from sight completely.

"Told you," Lacy said simply.

"It could be a cloak of some kind," Hailey offered thoughtfully. "Goa'uld technology isn't all that different in some respects."

Pinder was still looking at her device, "Could be. It does have many of the same properties as a cloaking field."

Xander nodded. "Yeah, and the Ancients did tend to hide all their really cool stuff. All right...Cordy? What are you doing?"

The former ascended woman had wandered over to the cave wall near the doorway and was looking at writing carved on the wall. "Damn it, this sucks! I should know what this means," Miss Chase grumbled. "When I was a higher being, I swear I could have understood everything written here in a second...but all I can make out now are the words 'welcome' and 'ascension'." She pointed at the relevant characters.

None of the other team members were experts in all things Ancient, but they all knew what ascension was. Namely evolution to a higher plane of existence, becoming pure energy after shedding one's mortal body behind. Energy that could retake human form if it so wished, as was the case with the one and only Cordelia Chase; so that she could learn what it meant to work for ascension and achieve her goal, rather than just be bounced there from the PTB realm and not having truly earned her place in that part of the higher dimensions.

"Well, if it's some sort of Ancient base or repository, we need to know. I'll check it out, the rest of you stay here," Xander ordered, hoisting his P90.

Cordelia withdrew the katana from the sheath she had strapped around her back, the same type of weapon she had used before - on the day she had said goodbye to Angel and the rest of her friends, at Wolfram & Hart. She had been trained to use firearms and was wearing a U.S. military-issue pistol, same as all the other SGA teams, but she preferred this weapon which required skill to use. "You need someone to watch your back, dummy."

"And you need to learn how to follow orders," Xander replied grouchily, as both Hailey and Pinder looked uncomfortable. "Okay, here I go..." He slowly pushed his P90 into the field. The field glowed blue around the gun. "So far so good..."

Harris pushed his hands forward and they disappeared into the field. "Weird. Yeah, it's kinda hurting my hands a little now..."

"Sir, get out of there at once," Hailey advised at once.

"Well I'm trying, but it's pulling me in..." Xander said nervously, as Cordelia sheathed her weapon and ran to anchor her friend. The other two women did the same, but it was no use; the portal seemed determined to keep its prey from escaping.

"It's too strong!" Pinder yelled, as all four were dragged closer to the barrier.

"That's it. Lemme go!" Xander shouted, worried about the personnel under his command. But his orders were about as effective as a vampire trying to keep its body together after being staked, or a Slayer trying to restrain her hungry and horny nature after a long fight without a kill at the end. None of the three let go, and they all tumbled through the portal together.

"Ow!" Cordelia yelled, as someone landed on top of her on the other side of the portal. "Get off of me!"

"Sorry," Hailey grunted as they all got up.

"Okay, I'm game. Why the hell didn't you people let go when I ordered you to do it?!" Xander's voice thundered in the dark cave.

"Oh, knock it off Xander. We're all still alive, aren't we?" Cordelia asked him.

Xander came closer and looked the three women right in the eye. "Okay, people, we need to get something straight right now. This isn't a democracy. Dr. Weir put me in charge, and when I give orders to my team I expect them to be obeyed. Don't get me wrong, I'm open to receiving advice and questions when the situation warrants it, but not downright deliberate disobedience. Any of you have a problem with that, as soon as we get back to Atlantis you go see Elizabeth and put in for a transfer to another team. Is that CLEAR?"

"Yes, sir!" Hailey and Pinder leapt to attention, military habit so ingrained that even though this guy was a civilian, he talked the talk well enough that the response was automatic.

"Oh, for God's sake, Xander..." Cordelia had a long-suffering look on her face.

"You think I'm bluffing, Cor? One more word out of you, and you're out. And don't look at me like that - because this isn't high school, and I'm not your boyfriend any longer. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Xander had a no-nonsense look on his face, and Hailey and Pinder looked surprised to hear that particular nugget of information.

Cordelia Chase wasn't a fool, ever since she was a child she'd known how to read any situation that she found herself in. That was how she knew that Harris was deadly serious with his threat. Thus, however galling it felt to be submissive to her ex's orders, she just nodded once. "Perfectly."

"Good." Xander's entire demeanour appeared to change. "All right then, people, let's take a look around. See what we've got here."

The SGA-4 team proceeded to do so, splitting up into pairs. A civilian with a military person, according to Xander's orders; so that the strengths and weakness of one half of the pair would be complemented by the other half. Harris was just thankful Cordelia didn't grumble about it or think he was wanting to get rid of her presence, and that she didn't question his authority anymore either.

A short while later, the two pairs rejoined to share their findings. "We've taken a good look around the area, sir. The cave opens up to the other side of the ridge. There's not exactly much there, so we came back to report in," Lt. Hailey said to her C.O. with Cordelia alongside her.

"I've got some bad news," Lt. Pinder said, gesturing to the barrier; which on this side of the portal was black like oil instead of transparent. "We can't go back out the way we came in."

"WHAT?" Cordelia demanded.

"Looks like that door was designed to act as a one-way entry point," Xander said, withdrawing his military-issue sidearm. "All right, everyone take cover. I wanna try something, and I'd prefer that nobody gets hit if this doesn't work."

Hailey quickly figured out the plan. "I'd recommend shooting at an oblique angle, sir. You wouldn't want the bullet to bounce back and hit you along the way."

"Good idea, Lieutenant." As the three women stepped back, Xander took aim and fired his weapon. As he'd feared, the black portal only rippled briefly with a blue color as the projectile hit and the ricochet sailed harmlessly back into the cave.

"Well, that was a big honking success," Cordelia said sarcastically.

"Yeah. All right, anybody got any other ideas?" Xander asked the rest of the team.

"Sir, that barrier has got to be receiving its power from somewhere," Pinder pointed out, holding up the Ancient scanner.

"Probably a ZPM. So if we can find the energy source..." Hailey added.

"We can shut it down and then get out of here. Neat-o!" Cordelia finished off with a smile.

"Now this is what I'm talking about, team!" Xander beamed at his girls. "All right, Pinder, you take point; Hailey, you watch our rear. Let's move out; the sooner we do this, the quicker we'll get out of here."

**Sunlit forest, inside the barrier**

**A few hours later**

"What was that?" Cordelia asked, looking around and unsheathing her katana again.

"I don't know," Xander replied, raising his P90 at the same time. He had heard something roar, just as she had. "Pinder, Hailey, get your butts over here!"

The point scout and rear guard quickly joined the other two, as the roaring continued. It seemed to be coming from several different directions at once. "What is that?" Jennifer demanded to know.

"Sounds like a starving Mulix demon," Cordelia said without thinking.

"A WHAT?" Both Hailey and Pinder stared at their teammate in disbelief.

"Focus, people!" Xander's harsh voice dragged all three gals back to the task at hand. "Eyes front, Hailey and Pinder - you take the right and left flanks. Cordy, you're with me."

"I don't need to be protected-" Cordelia said hotly, before Lacy nudged her. "Not now!" the British woman hissed.

She and the blonde USAF officer then moved out, and Xander began following them. Grumbling to herself, the former half-demon seer said, "Fine, nobody listen to me. What the hell was I thinking, signing up for this gig..."

They quickly came out of the forest, and headed into a wide-open space that was a grassy field. All of a sudden, a man ran out of the woods nearby. "Help! Help! Help me, please!" he shouted in an obvious panic.

The Atlantis people all pointed their weapons in his direction, but the team members could quickly see that he was unarmed and not an overt threat. "Where is it?" Xander demanded as he heard that roaring sound once more.

"Over there!" The man pointed the way he'd come. "In the trees!"

"Fan out-" Xander started to say, when the creature roared again. Much louder this time.

"What is it we're facing?" Hailey demanded, looking around nervously.

"The Beast!" their new acquaintance said simply.

"Okay, where's the closest safe place we can head for?" Pinder asked, wanting to make contingency plans.

"The Cloister, but it's, it's too far away," the man babbled. "We'd never make it-"

"Stay behind us and get ready to run," Xander instructed the stranger. He said to his three teammates, "Short controlled bursts only. Let's see if we can't scare it off first."

They all fired a hail of bullets into the trees. As the smoke cleared, the SGA team looked on cautiously. For a moment there was silence, then the tell-tale roar came from their left. Xander spun to face the sound, "What the fu-"

Suddenly a distortion appeared just above the ground, flickering into view for a moment and then fading away. Xander lowered his rifle, puzzled. Then the distortion appeared again, this time forming the shape of a human-sized monster as it roared.

"The Beast!" the native screamed.

"Take it out!" Xander yelled, and all four of them opened fire. But the Beast phased out of existence, the bullets flying away harmlessly, and then it reappeared much closer to the humans. With a swipe of its clawed hand, it slashed Xander across the face; he flew backwards and blood poured out of his ripped cheek.

"XANDER!!" Cordelia screamed, and then furiously attacked the Beast with her sword. But for some reason, it just vanished and left before she could land a single blow.

"We need a doctor," Pinder said quickly, as she and Hailey examined their unconscious leader and tried to stem the bleeding after determining that the danger was currently past.

The blonde lieutenant, who was officially Xander's second-in-command, nodded. "You! What's your name?"

"Avrid," the man replied, still looking around nervously for the Beast.

"Right. Look, Avrid, can we get some sort of medical help at this Cloister place of yours?" the brunette British woman asked.

"I - yes…"

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Cordelia demanded. "Let's go! Let's go!"

**The Cloister, inside the barrier**

**A short while later**

Xander woke up, briefly thinking he was back in the Atlantis infirmary; the pain was even worse than that from getting knocked out by his drug-crazed friend Lt. Aiden Ford a few months ago. "Wh..." he managed to say.

"He's awake!" That was Cordelia's voice.

"Ugggh. Cordy? Where am I?" Xander mumbled, as he opened his eyes and started to get up.

"Don't move yet. You're badly hurt," a new female voice said. Harris looked over towards the sound and saw a brunette woman in her early thirties, wearing an ankle-length sleeveless shift dress. "I am Teer."

"Hi. Xander Harris. Is, is me," the young man mumbled.

"I know. Your friends have told us who you are," Teer gestured towards the three Earth women.

Xander saw their faces, and quickly guessed the truth. He had seen that look often enough, when he had been the one-eyed freak in the room. "How bad is it?" he asked Cordelia about his lacerated features.

"Bad enough," she replied. And the former actress was never so glad for trying to make it as a Hollywood movie star, in another life.

"I can help!" a young, female, pre-teen voice said.

Xander looked down and saw an eager little girl. "Uh, no offense, but aren't you a little young to be a doctor?" he asked. Harris had learned by now never to underestimate unknown females, no matter what they looked like, but some habits were hard to break.

"Hedda is one of the few among us who possesses the healing power," Teer said. "If you have no objections...?"

Xander glanced over at Lt. Hailey, who subtly shook her head. Then he felt his scabbed and ruined face, and decided to completely ignore her advice. "All right, Hedda, show me what you can do."

The girl reached out, her eyes closed in concentration, and passed her right hand across the wound on his face. As she withdrew her hand, the wound healed completely and Xander opened his eyes as well. "Whoa!"

"That's, that's amazing," Lacy said in wonder.

"Thank you," Cordelia said in heartfelt gratitude.

"Same here," Hailey added at once. Her confidence in her new C.O.'s instincts went up another few notches, after the judgment call had proved her wrong and him right.

"Me too," Xander said as he got out from under the covers. He then looked down to see he wasn't in uniform any longer. "Hey, which one of you got me out of my clothes and into these things?"

"I did, of course," Cordelia said. "Like we were going to ruin those clean sheets with your bloodstained rags! And you haven't got anything hidden there that I haven't seen before, y'know."

"Sure, but it's not like I treated you to dinner and a movie before you got to see me naked," Xander riposted.

"Dork," Cordelia flung out the usual insult crossly.

Teer started wondering if these two were married, the way they were carrying on. But at that moment, Avrid came in before she could voice the question. "Ah, you're awake! Thank the Ancestors. I brought you some food," he said to the former medical patient.

Xander instantly pounced on the meal. "Thank you, I'm starving!" He started to wolf it all down.

"Should he be eating that fast?" Hailey asked as Xander ignored everything else around him.

"Oh, this is nothing. You should have seen him at our high school cafeteria ten years ago, I swear - Xander ate things that couldn't even be classified as food!" Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I was a growing boy back then!" Xander said, as he finished off the meal and Hedda gave him something with which to wipe his lips.

"Well, you seem fine now, sir," Lacy spoke up. "Uh, we should get going, don't you think?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Um, look, thanks for everything," Xander said quickly to Teer and Hedda. "And, uh, if I could possibly have my clothes back-?"

"Where are you planning to go?" the little girl looked confused as Teer left the room to go find them.

"Well, Hedda, we're kinda just passing through. And we're planning to leave out the same cave that we came in by," Hailey explained.

"That's impossible. There's no way to leave the Sanctuary, except to ascend," Avrid replied at once.

"What exactly does that mean?" Cordelia demanded, instantly reminded of that writing on the cave wall on the other side of the barrier.

"It means that you cannot leave here. Any of you. The sole purpose of this place is to meditate upon ascension, and one day join those who created the Sanctuary," Avrid replied. "Why else would any of you have entered through the portal?"

The SGA-4 team looked embarrassed for a moment. "Uh, call it a mistake. I tried to stop it but the damned thing sucked me in, and my friends here all got dragged along for the ride. Look, maybe you can save us some time; do you know where there's an Ancient power source anywhere around here? A ZPM, maybe," Xander asked.

"A what?" Avrid looked confused for a moment before saying, "We, we don't venture far beyond the Cloister, the Beast's presence makes it too dangerous. In any case, it doesn't matter; once you crossed the threshold, you all committed yourselves to be here for the rest of your days. The Ancestors planned far too well for it to be otherwise. Welcome to your new home," he said with a smile, as he escorted Hedda out of the room.

The four team members just stared at one another. "Why do I suddenly get the feeling that we're in deep, deep trouble?" Cordelia commented.

"Sir, the closest energy signature isn't exactly close by. We've got quite a ways to travel, and the environment is obviously hostile," Pinder pointed out, holding up her Ancient device.

"Yeah. So we're going to have to be real careful doing this. Hailey, go see if you can't rustle up some more food supplies from our hosts. Pinder, you check to see how good we are for ammunition and everything else. Cordy, go find Teer and see what's taking her so long with my clothes, will you?"

Jennifer and Lacy left, but Cordelia didn't. That whole 'following orders' thing was obviously still a work in progress for her. Xander noticed and sighed, "All right, go ahead and say it. The Zeppo screwed up again, huh?"

"Oh, puh-lease! It's not even true, none of us could have known what would happen. Well, okay, I guess maybe I should have known; I obviously need to brush up on my Ancient," his ex-girlfriend replied. "And besides, if worse comes to worst? If anyone can come up with a way to get us out of here, Dr. Caffeine Addict McKay can," Cordy added snarkily.

**Atlantis Control Room**

**Six hours later**

"There're still no word from them?" Elizabeth Weir asked Rodney McKay, who was sitting in a chair at his workstation. She was very concerned about the overdue SGA-4 team.

"Nothing," the Canadian scientist said simply. Then he looked up towards the female base commander. "And by the way, let me be the first to mention how I just KNEW that something like this would happen."

"Rodney," his teammate Teyla Emmagan said sternly.

"What? Did I or did I not say that putting Harris in charge of a field team was a BAD idea? Not to mention his obvious favoritism in picking that stuck-up former Ancient of an ex-girlfriend of his, to be a member of the unit!"

"You're just mad because she tried to force-feed you some citrus fruit the other day, to make you shut up about asking her questions regarding her time with the Ancestors," Ronon Dex smirked at the egocentric physicist.

"Hey, now, that is very..." McKay started to say angrily, before he trailed off with obvious hesitation. "...incomplete."

"Well, Harris knows the rules, I drilled him about it personally. He would have checked in by now once their survey mission was done," John Sheppard said plainly.

"You think they encountered the Wraith?" McKay voiced the question worriedly.

"If so, we need to know. Colonel, you and your team go check it out. Take whatever you think you'll need, but if they were captured by the enemy - do what you must to make sure that the Wraith don't find out Atlantis is still in one piece," Weir said firmly.

Sheppard nodded. "Understood."

Such orders were unpleasant but necessary, and everyone knew the score the moment they left the city. He gestured to the rest of the SGA-1 team, then John, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon departed the control room and began to prepare for their new mission as Elizabeth went to her office.

A few hours later, Weir heard McKay's voice squawk in her earpiece. #Elizabeth! Meet us at the infirmary, stat! We have literally no time to lose!#

"Rodney, what's going-" the woman began to say.

#Don't talk, move!# the man's voice seemed even more frantic than usual.

Weir obeyed orders with no further comment, and soon found Sheppard and McKay organizing supplies and talking to Carson Beckett. "Look, I don't know what their medical state is, but what I can say is that the odds are we'll need a doctor. Namely, you!" McKay told his friend hurriedly. "So start packing!"

"Sir, the supplies are being loaded onto the jumper," an enlisted type reported to Sheppard.

"Good. Is Zelenka done with that descent probe of his yet?" McKay demanded before John could reply.

"I don't know-"

"Then go find out. And if it isn't, tell Radek I said to get the lead out already!" Rodney said snappishly.

"What is going on here?" Elizabeth's voice rang out in annoyance. "Where are our missing people? And where's Teyla and Ronon, while we're at it?"

John and Rodney turned to face her. "Elizabeth, we've got ourselves a problem. And Ronon and Teyla stayed behind to keep an eye on things for us," Sheppard said simply.

"What problem? And an eye on things where?" Weir asked.

"Look, we tracked Harris and his harem as far as a cave on this planet that they landed on. From all the scuff marks on the ground, it looked as if they had been pulled inside through some sort of energy barrier. Luckily, yours truly managed to figure out that they were dragged into some sort of time dilation field before any of us stepped through and joined them! Unfortunately though, my Ancient isn't good enough to understand the warning label on the cave wall. So we need you to come with us and translate it," Rodney said, barely taking a breath.

"But why the huge rush? I don't understand," Weir started to say.

"Because time is passing much faster for them than it is for us, damn it! If there's an elongation ratio of about 250:1, hours here would equate to weeks or months in there - thanks to that time dilation field I just mentioned! I figure, it must've already been a year or so that's passed for our people ever since they went inside that thing. We have to hurry in order to fix this within their lifetimes, because if it takes us too long to get them outta there then the entire rescue attempt is completely pointless - as they'll have died of old age!" McKay said passionately.

"Oh my bloody God," Carson finally spoke up, the Scottish doctor looking horrified.

"I have to agree," Weir added fervently. "And keep in mind, if we don't successfully retrieve Xander and Miss Chase at least, there are going to be a lot of angry young women asking questions once they hear the bad news. You remember those girls who we all met a few months ago, don't you Rodney?"

( _How could I forget?_ ) McKay thought to himself with a shudder. He, Sheppard and Weir had met with WC, Inc. a.k.a. the Watchers Council, but had no idea what it truly was; they'd just delivered Xander's message that he was alive and well, after that just-in-case farewell DVD had been viewed by everyone back in April.

They'd refused to say anything else though, which had made more than a few of Xander's old friends very annoyed. And the truth was, Buffy's hand wrapped around his throat while she was furiously demanding answers was not something that McKay liked to dwell upon.

"Why does he get all the girls, anyway?" Rodney muttered to himself, wondering yet again about Xander's relationship to all those females on Earth who wanted him to come home safe and well.

**High above the Ancient sanctuary planet**

**A short while later**

The puddle jumper flew towards the circular mountain range surrounding the crater containing the Sanctuary. Elizabeth was sitting beside Sheppard up front, while Rodney was behind John and Carson was seated behind Weir. The brunette woman looked down at the crater and said, "There it is."

McKay was consulting a hand-held Ancient device, a twin to what Lacy Pinder had used before. "Well, according to these readings, it's not there."

Beckett said at once, "Rodney, I can see it with my own eyes - it's right there inside that crater!"

McKay shook his head. "It's impossible to say whether the Ancients actually built it inside the crater, or whether the rim formed as a result of the time dilation field."

Weir looked to the USAF lieutenant colonel. "The jumper sensors aren't picking up anything?"

"Nothing," Sheppard replied simply.

McKay nodded. "All right. Position us directly above it, then prepare to launch the probe on my mark."

Elizabeth turned around to stare at him. "What exactly is this probe of yours supposed to do?"

McKay replied, "Well, it's SUPPOSED to descend slowly into the atmosphere of a gas giant. The 'chute opens, the probe separates into two components joined by a tether hundreds of meters long..."

Weir could now see where he was going with this. "So we should be able to receive telemetry from inside the time dilation field, while the other half of the probe is still outside."

Rodney nodded, "Right. And depending on the variance, we might be able to fly right into the field and rescue our four missing personnel."

"Very clever, Rodney!" Carson complimented his friend.

"Uh, yes, it is." McKay looked uncomfortable in admitting it but nonetheless said, "It was actually Zelenka's idea. Okay, if we're in position?"

"Affirmative," Sheppard replied.

"Then let's launch the probe. Three, two, one, mark."

John deployed the probe, which dropped out from underneath the puddle jumper and fell groundwards, its parachute trailing out above it. "Probe away."

"The probe's about to pass through the field. Stand by..." McKay looked at the readout from his hand-held device. "Damn it!" he cursed.

"What happened?" asked the physician.

McKay told Carson in annoyance, "Exactly what I was afraid would happen. The probe was ripped apart by tidal forces at the event horizon, almost instantly."

"So we can't just fly through it and rescue our friends?" Beckett asked.

"No, not unless we wanna be ripped apart too!" McKay replied rather rudely.

Weir was curious about something. "Did you receive any telemetry before the probe failed?"

Rodney looked at his device again. "Hmm. Actually, quite a lot. Looks like mostly gibberish, though. This is gonna take me the better part of an hour to go through."

"So how much time does that mean for Xander and the others?" Sheppard spoke up.

"Weeks, maybe even more depending on how fast I can do this. So all of you have to shut up and let me concentrate," McKay said irritably before beginning to examine the data.

**The Cloister, within the Ancient sanctuary**

**The same time**

Just as Rodney had hypothesized back in Atlantis, far more time had passed for SGA-4 and the residents of the Cloister than for everyone in the outside world. Well over a year, in fact; and by this time, even Cordelia had given up all hope of rescue by their comrades.

The Atlantis team didn't know how little time had passed outside the barrier on account of they didn't know about the time dilation field, the Beast had smashed all of their scientific equipment on the very first expedition to find the ZPM. For months Hedda had been kept busy healing Harris, Chase, Hailey and Pinder of their constant injuries, until Teer and Avrid had put their foot down. They'd told Xander enough was enough, and their little sister wouldn't be doing this anymore if SGA-4 was going to keep on needlessly risking their lives that way.

So the team leader had eventually given in, the threat of severe injury or death to the rest of his people was simply too high to continue looking for the zero point module, or whatever it was, any longer. However reluctantly, they'd begun integrating into the community. And tonight Xander and his three teammates were sitting in the house that had become their new home, drinking some homemade moonshine and trading stories whilst sprawled out on the living room floor.

"You think that was bad? You shoulda seen those creatures on M4C-862," a somewhat drunken Lt. Hailey said. Just after hearing how Xander and Cordelia had witnessed their high school getting blown to smithereens after a gas leak, and a gang high on PCP had shown up on their high school graduation day.

"What are you talkin' about?" Cordelia slurred slightly.

"Oh, well, I was on the verge of being kicked out of the Air Force academy. But Lt. Colonel Carter – brilliant woman! – she shows up and saves my career before I flushed it down the toilet," Jennifer said, her head swaying. "So she takes me on a trip to another planet. These weird energy-based light bugs suddenly turn pretty vicious and start killing people. Then General O'Neill plays hero saving all our butts, well, okay – Teal'c helped. I still think I was right and Colonel Carter was wrong about why those creatures changed their behavior, though."

"O'Neill and Carter, I've met them. And I betcha they're totally doing it in secret," Xander said suddenly, after taking a long gulp of alcohol.

"Sir, that's be – hic! – against regulations," Pinder said with the solemnity of the truly intoxicated, before passing out and her head hit the floor.

"Ouch. And what she said," Hailey nodded. "Yeah, I better put Lacy and then myself to bed. G'night, sir. G'night, Cordelia."

"G'night," the two former Sunnydalians chorused, as the blonde military officer dragged the brunette one away.

Once they were gone, Xander said to his ex, "Want some more booze?"

"Nah, I've had enough," Cordelia suddenly scooted over and laid her head on his shoulder. "Hoo boy, I'm totally tanked!" she started giggling.

"Yeah, me too. It's kinda fun, isn't it?" Xander smirked. "No wonder my Uncle Rory was always so into his peppermint schnapps. And why Anya always used to say..." He then abruptly shut himself up.

"It's okay if you wanna talk about her," Cordelia said comfortingly, as she turned to face him. "I know how much you loved her."

"Like you loved Angel," Harris sighed.

"Him?" Cordy briefly scowled. "Yeah, well, I suppose. But you know, it was a bit of a shock for me seeing him together with that girl Nina! I mean, less than two months after I ascended, he started sleeping with another woman? And a blonde one at that! At least YOU waited a decent interval before banging hips with Faith," the brunette woman snorted.

That piece of the past made Xander more than a little antsy, bringing back a lot of bad memories. And even though he didn't know it, Cordelia had said her goodbyes to Angel in the privacy of her own mind from across the street, and then simply left in the USAF vehicle. Later she'd returned to Atlantis, since no one else from her LA family was still alive anymore.

"I don't exactly miss her. And Cordy, I do miss Buffy, Willow, Giles and Dawn, but...but not the way I used to. Not anymore. I haven't seen them for over two years; I haven't even been back to Earth ever since the expedition first arrived in Atlantis, and we all ended up in here. The old Scooby gang hasn't been part of my life, while you have," Xander abruptly confessed. "There's also that pesky secrecy thing, I can't tell them anything about what I do for a living nowadays."

"Yeah. I know," Cordy comforted him with a hug.

"Uh, I have to ask. Is there...was there...something going on between you and Ronon?" Xander babbled right out of the blue.

"What? No!" Cordelia said hotly, breaking out of Xander's embrace. "Okay, so you saw us flirting a lot. But that guy reminded me way too much of Groo while he was teaching me how to fight and use my katana properly, for anything like that to ever happen."

"Who's Groo?" Xander asked in confusion.

"An ex-boyfriend. One that I do NOT want to talk about," the former seer said firmly, trying to repress those bad memories.

A shrug. "He cheated on you like I did."

"NO! He didn't...Groo wasn't like you at all," Cordelia stared at her ex intensely. "But he gave up on 'us' because he thought Angel was...well, to be honest, I don't know exactly what he was really thinking back then. At least with you, you made your feelings about Angel clear from the start!"

"Those were the days, huh?" Xander mused. "It all seems so simple now, what things were like back in high school. When it was Giles and Ms. Calendar, Buffy and Angel, Willow and Oz, you and me..."

The sexual tension suddenly appeared thanks to this little journey down memory lane, what with the long and convoluted history that these two shared. They stared at each other, and Xander saw Cordy slowly wetting her slightly parted lips. Their mouths slowly came closer, and Harris felt her warm breath caress his lips.

It felt so natural. It felt so right...

They kissed. Very intensely. But suddenly the pair jerked backwards, and looked at each other in amazement. "No, no, no! That did NOT just happen!" Xander got up and backed away.

"Er, why not?" Cordy got up as well, albeit a bit unsteadily.

"Look, Cordy. We've been there, and done that, and you know as well as I do how it just didn't work out. At all! And there's also that darned no-fraternization rule that Lacy and Jennifer mentioned just now. I don't want to lose you as a member of my team, when we finally get out of here-"

"IF we ever get outta here," Cordelia corrected him. "And what exactly are we going to do, if that actually happens one day? Let's face it, Atlantis has probably been abandoned or destroyed after all this time, and no one ever came to find us. What, do we head for the Alpha site or some other planet, and just hang around for the Wraith to show up?"

"No, we'll try to get back home to Earth. By any means possible," Harris told her firmly. "Now go get some sleep, Cor. It's late, and I'm tired." So saying he marched off to his bedroom.

"Macho jerk," Cordelia said huffily, but with no real venom in her voice. She too then finally went off to bed.

**Outside the barrier, Ancient sanctuary planet**

**Seventy minutes later**

"Okay, I think I've got it," Elizabeth Weir said as she turned away from the inscribed wall that she had been studying in the fading daylight. "Now I'm interpreting a bit, but it seems that the field was designed as a sanctuary from the Wraith, a place the last of the Ancients could travel to and hopefully ascend without fear of attack."

McKay nodded in understanding. "Of course. They could potentially spend entire lifetimes inside the field, before the Wraith even discovered the place."

"And if they ever attacked, their ships would get torn apart just as the probe did," Beckett added.

Teyla stared at the portal in awe. "And so it has remained for ten thousand years."

Weir turned back to the wall and said, "This writing here - this serves as a sort of welcome, as well as a warning for any of the humans under their protection looking for sanctuary. I think it was left here for anyone who wanted to seek the path to ascension on their own."

"So what's the warning part of it about?" Dex asked.

Weir didn't want to say it, but did so anyway. "That once you cross the threshold, there's no return."

McKay looked immensely smug. "Unless of course you have the exact location of the power source, AND the expertise how to turn it off!" His digging through the telemetry data had finally struck gold. "Hey, we may even get a ZedPM out of this!"

Everyone started to gather what he or she was planning to take through on the rescue mission. Elizabeth said, "Well then, let's get going."

"All of us?" Sheppard arched his eyebrows. "Doesn't sound like a good idea to me."

McKay nodded. "Elizabeth, of all the people who ought to stay behind, it should be you."

Carson raised his hand, "Actually..."

Weir ignored him. "There may be writing by the power source that needs translating."

"Yeah, okay, but see, there is a slight chance that when we go through…" McKay trailed off.

"We'll end up hamburger?" Sheppard finished for him. "Sorry, Elizabeth. But the risks don't justify it on this one."

Elizabeth looked way upset at being overruled this way, and was about to speak up when Dr. Beckett beat her to it. "Well, they may need medical treatment and I'm the only doctor here, so I should probably just…" He nervously lowered his arm.

Rodney clicked his tongue impatiently. "Carson, it probably won't even hurt if you just go through quickly."

Sheppard turned to his boss, "All right. If we're not back in an hour...don't send anyone else in after us. There'd be no point, either way."

Very reluctantly, Weir nodded in agreement to the plan.

**The Cloister, inside the barrier**

**The same time**

Everyone was sitting at the long table in the village square, having their lunchtime meal. Teer was sitting alongside Cordelia, and couldn't help noticing how Xander was staring at her every time he thought no one was looking. This had been going on for some weeks now, and the native woman was beginning to become concerned.

She'd known from the start that these two had a bond that stretched back all the way to childhood. She had seen them grow closer and closer together over the past year or so; and yet nowadays, they seemed to have erected some sort of barrier between them. Teer didn't understand it, especially since Cordelia had once been one of the ascended and ought to have been beyond such things by now.

The brunette woman was a very complex person, Teer knew that. Cordelia had achieved what everyone here was striving for, but for some unknown reason she had cast it aside like it meant nothing. Still, she was very brave; not long ago when the Beast had finally been able to attack the Cloister somehow, Cordelia and her three teammates had unhesitatingly stood their ground and attempted to drive it off while Teer and the rest of her people had all just hidden in their homes.

( _Perhaps Xander was right about what he said later that day,_ ) Teer thought to herself uneasily. ( _How can we expect them to feel part of our community, if they alone were willing to stand against something that wished to kill us all? I know that we risk losing our way to ascension if we choose that path, but being accused of cowardice also leaves a bad taste in the mouth..._ )

Suddenly Teer dropped her cutlery to the ground, as a vision appeared in her mind. A vision of the man she had foreseen her adult entire life; Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. ( _It's him! The one whose presence will finally usher in ascension for us all!_ )

"Let me get those for you," Cordelia leaned down to get the knife and fork. She and Teer had gotten closer lately, with the meditation sessions the former Angel Investigations seer had attended.

"No, wait. Your friends from the outside, they have come for you," Teer said as all of SGA-4 stared at her. "They number five. They just came in through the portal, four men and a woman."

"What? How do you know that?" Pinder asked at once.

"Just as Hedda has the power to heal, I am able to see images in my mind. It's not uncommon for those on the path to ascension to gain such abilities," Teer explained.

"Really? Are-are you sure?" Xander asked as he jumped to his feet, the rest of his team quickly following. "Well, hey, that's the best news I've heard in-"

Teer interrupted at once, "No, Xander - I sense something more." She briefly gazed off into space, "The Beast is not far away. It will soon be upon them."

Xander wasted no time in racing off to get his weapons, Pinder and Hailey right behind him. Their guns had all run out of ammo long ago, of course, but the ex-carpenter had managed to construct a few swords and fighting sticks from some ironwood trees a few months ago. And Cordelia still had her razor-sharp katana.

Miss Chase said to the Cloister residents, "You people aren't coming to help, are you?"

"To ascend, one must meditate and not fight-" Avrid started to say.

"Oh come on, you're not meditating! All of you, you're just hiding," the Chase woman said scornfully.

"Hiding? From what?" Avrid asked.

"You should already know the answer to that one, pal!"

Avrid looked at her, not understanding. Teer, however, knew what Cordelia was talking about. "She means the Beast."

"Yeah! Look, don't get me wrong, you're all basically good people. But until you face your fear of that thing, you're never going to achieve your goal! Someone I know once told me that one of the Ancients said to him, 'you can't flee death and ascend'. It was pretty good advice too, 'cause it was the only way that he was able to release his burdens and make it upstairs. Think about that, will you?"

With nothing more to add, Cordelia joined the rest of her team as Xander tossed her the katana and the four of them sprinted off.

**Inside the barrier, not far away from the forest**

**A short while later**

Sheppard and the others were walking across the field of grass where Xander and his team had first encountered the Beast, so long ago. McKay said, "You know, I was just thinking: this entire field - I mean, not the field, I mean the field field - must generate its own day and night cycle, not to mention its own artificial climate. I mean, it's incredible! When you think-"

"You wanna pick up the pace, McKay?" Ronon interrupted.

"Hey, they've been waiting for us for over a year, local time. Another half hour isn't gonna make much difference, you know!" Rodney replied in exasperation.

"That's assuming they're all still alive," Teyla said glumly. The Athosian woman, who'd been walking alongside Sheppard, suddenly dropped the case she'd been carrying and raised her fist above her head. The others stopped at once.

"What? What is it?" McKay looked around nervously.

The Beast roared in the distance, right on cue. As Teyla and Sheppard aimed their P90s and Dex aimed his Satedan weapon into the woods where the sound was coming from, Rodney checked his Ancient device. "I'm not detecting anything-"

"Doesn't mean it isn't there," Dex interrupted him again. He then said to Teyla, "Can you see anything?"

"No. But I sense something is close," the human woman with the Wraith gene replied.

"I don't like this," Carson looked very tense.

"Everyone, weapons hot," Sheppard ordered, as he took one step forward.

The Beast instantly roared again, the sound much closer than before. Rodney and Carson got their pistols out as Ronon activated his blaster. "It's stalking us," the former Runner grunted.

The roar suddenly came from a different direction, as Carson looked around. "Sounds like there's more than just one."

"Yeah, more than one what?" McKay asked nervously.

Teyla gazed skywards, trying to sense what was out there. "I don't know."

Without warning, the Beast half-materialized right in front of Ronon. He fired his blaster at it, but it had no effect and the Beast knocked him flying. Teyla backed away, firing a hail of bullets into the Beast as it roared. Rodney and Carson fired their pistols at it as well, but with no greater success than her as it phased in and out of existence.

Teyla pulled out a knife and ran at the enemy, crying out ferociously, but the Beast struck out and knocked her clear across the field as well.

"Teyla!" Sheppard yelled, the colonel a lot more concerned for the woman than he should have been.

The Beast roared and turned towards the others. Just then, Xander and his team came racing out of the woods and hurled themselves into the Beast's path.

"What the hell took you people so long?!" Xander yelled out to the new arrivals. He then said to his team, "You know the drill!"

The four veterans then began attacking the enemy. Sheppard looked on with surprise and then approval as Teyla and Ronon rejoined his group; the last time John had seen Xander and his team, they'd been the equivalent of raw recruits just thrown together. Now they were able to fight with a snap and precision available only to members of an elite unit that had worked together for a long time, and knew each other's moves at an instinctive level.

The Beast suddenly phased out, as a slice from Cordelia's katana made it howl in pain. The Chase woman then said to the rescue team in annoyance, "What's the big idea, taking your own sweet time like that?!"

"Believe it or not, you've only been gone about a day," Ronon told her simply.

"WHAT?" Xander, Cordelia, Lacy and Jennifer all said in unison.

"Yeah, that's the thing - you guys, you've been trapped inside a time dilation field," McKay added.

"Oh my God," Hailey said, her genius-level brain instantly grasping the implications. Xander, sci-fi geek that he had once been, also managed to get it; but Cordelia and Pinder were still completely in the dark.

"What's a time dilation field?" Cordy demanded to know.

"Look, I hate to interrupt, but can we talk about this somewhere else?" Sheppard asked even as McKay opened his mouth to explain.

"Yeah, good idea. Our house is located back in the Cloister," Xander said, gesturing with his bokken. "And that thing might decide to show up again, any second."

Teyla gazed skywards. "No - it's still here, close by."

Just to prove her point, the Beast roared again. Everyone looked around the field somewhat nervously. For a moment nothing happened, then the Beast phased into existence - but now it was about 70 feet tall.

"Well, this is new," Harris muttered as he and his team turned and stared up at the enemy in disbelief.

John walked cautiously forward, holding his knife out in front of him. Ronon pulled his sword out and joined him. "You've fought this thing before?" he asked Xander, as the team leader linked up with the other two.

"Plenty of times," Harris replied.

"So how did you beat it?" the Satedan warrior demanded.

"We didn't. It always kicked our asses, before deciding to disappear," Xander told him simply.

"That's not good," Sheppard said nervously .

At that moment, all the villagers arrived out of the woods. "Friends of yours?" Teyla said to Cordelia in surprise.

"I guess you could say that," Miss Chase said with a hint of glee. ( _Oh yeah, I could SO have become a motivational speaker, like my old junior year career test said!_ )

The villagers walked forward, their faces determined. Avrid stared up at the Beast as it growled ferociously. He then said to Cordelia, "We've come to stand with you, whatever happens."

"No, we've come to fight," Teer said, as Xander glanced back at her in surprise. She looked up at the Beast, "And we are not afraid of you."

The Beast roared. "Let's not piss off the angry monster, okay?" McKay asked nervously.

Teer never even looked at him. "The Beast is of our own creation, and it is long past time that we sent it away."

She glanced across at her brother again, and then all the villagers walked forward and encircled the Beast. It continued to growl and roar. As they completed the circle and stared up at it, the Beast raised its hands above its head, screamed once and then disappeared.

Teer turned to face Xander. He walked towards her, Dex and Sheppard not far behind him. Avrid and Hedda join their sister, standing on either side of her. "Are you all right?" Teer asked politely.

Xander just shook his head in genuine disbelief. "That's IT?! After all this time...that's all it took to get rid of that thing?!"

"You were right all along, Cordelia," Avrid said, looking at the woman in question as Teer merely nodded to Xander's query. "We WERE afraid. The Beast was the final burden we had to shed, manifest from our own fears. You gave us the courage to face it. Thank you." He held out his hand towards her. "Come with us, if you wish."

The Atlantis people saw a white glow begin to envelop all of the other villagers. Teer and Hedda also started to glow, as their brother extended his invitation to re-ascend to the one-time head cheerleader of Sunnydale High.

Cordelia Chase, former Ancient, hesitated. ( _Is, is this why I found my way here? To eventually go back to being...one of them?_ )

But then Cordelia saw her ex-boyfriend staring at her, and in an instant her decision was made. "Not unless Xander comes too."

"Oh, I'm not ready for that yet. I'm not sure I ever will be, either," Harris told her simply, glancing around at Lacy and Jennifer, who looked relieved at Xander's decision.

"Then sorry, but no can do," Miss Chase told Avrid.

Behind Teer, the villagers were slowly fading into white light. "One day, perhaps?" Teer asked as Avrid began to glow white.

"Yeah, one day."

Teer nodded. "I look forward to it. And there'll be no need to destroy the Sanctuary, Dr. McKay," the woman added as she turned to look at Rodney.

"What? No-no-no-no-no, I wasn't thinking that, I was…" the scientist began his unimpressive denials.

Behind Teer, the villagers had all but disappeared and only glowing light remained - light which slowly rose up into the sky. "We will keep the portal open for you until you are all gone," Teer said firmly. "Sanctuary was left by those who came before us, for those who would seek it out and follow the path. And it will continue to remain after you leave."

McKay looked annoyed as hell now. "Yeah, but-"

"You really want me to shove some citrus fruit into that big mouth of yours later on, McKay?" Cordelia interrupted with a mean look on her face.

Rodney turned away, frustrated and also scared given his life-threatening allergies to the stuff. "Fine!"

Teer began to dissolve into white light as on either side of her, Avrid and Hedda ascended into the sky. Moments later, she and the last of the villagers left the ground and ascended as well. The lights eventually vanished into nothingness, as the ranks of the Ancients finally increased in number.

Ronon stared upwards, his gaze intense. "Amazing."

Teyla looked at Xander appreciatively. "Well - the goatee is interesting..." She didn't miss the stare which Cordelia sent her though, that universal look which women generate when warning a female rival off of their territory.

Xander shook his head at the comment. "Gonna get rid of it once we get back to Atlantis. Haven't had a decent razor blade around here in months." He paused. "To be honest, we all thought we'd never see any of you ever again."

McKay shrugged. "Yeah, well, since it was just a few hours for us, too bad we can't say the same…"

Teyla said sternly, "Rodney."

"What? Am I allowed to say nothing?" McKay looked indignant.

Beckett replied, "Of course not, Rodney."

Ronon added to SGA-4, "We're just sorry that we didn't get here sooner."

"Well, better late than never," Hailey spoke up for the first time, the blonde jamming her sword into the ground and looking forward to finally getting a hot bath in her own quarters.

"Amen," Pinder and Cordelia said at the same time.

Xander looked round at all of his team. "Yeah, let's go home. And guys, as soon as we get back I promise I'll pay up on all my poker night gambling debts."

"Yeah, uh, I've heard that one before, sir," Hailey had a smirk on her face.

"You owe me a month's wages. Sir," Pinder said rather awkwardly.

"And you owe ME at least half a dozen foot massages, besides the money," Cordy reminded him. "So don't think I won't collect, Xander, one way or another!"

"Yeah, yeah," Harris mock-grumbled.

As they all started to walk off, McKay hung back and motioned to Sheppard to join him. The scientist then gestured to SGA-4, who were now all moving forward side by side like SGA-1 often did. "Last time we saw them, they weren't exactly 'gelling' as a team, were they?" Rodney asked.

"Well, I guess being stranded together in the middle of nowhere for over a year sure helps with the bonding thing," Sheppard slowly started to grin. "Yeah, I think they're going to work out just fine."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** A Change Of Scenery 4  
**By:** Nodakskip and Starway Man

**Emails: **,  
**Disclaimer: **We don't own any Buffy, Angel, Stargate SG-1 or Stargate Atlantis references; they all belong to their various owners, world without end, amen. Some of this story is taken directly from the Stargate: Atlantis episode 3.10 "The Return, part 1" and Stargate SG-1 episode 10.08 "Memento Mori", and so those parts of it belong to the writers in question.

**A/N:** This is the third sequel to "A Change Of Scenery". So it probably won't make much sense if you don't read those stories first. Like always, we hope this fanfic has been worth the wait for you all.  
**Summary: **The continuing adventures of Stargate: Atlantis team SGA-4...on Earth.

--

**Planet ****M4S-587****, Pegasus galaxy**

**September, 2006**

The members of the Fourth Atlantis Reconnaissance Team, or SGA-4 as it was more commonly known – Xander Harris, Cordelia Chase, Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey and Lieutenant Lacy Pinder – were leaving this newly discovered world, which was populated by a relatively primitive townspeople. Their mission had been to talk to and get to know the locals, a simple 'meet and greet'. Thus it had been a welcome change of pace for these particular people, who had undergone quite a few harrowing adventures in the last year or so.

"All I'm saying is, ever since we got out of the Sanctuary things haven't exactly been boring," Lacy said in her English accent. "Even by the standards of this particular tour of duty."

"I have to agree," Hailey nodded her head. "Never a dull moment, just like back at Stargate Command."

"Why, just 'cause of the Wraith?" Cordelia asked.

"It's not just them," Pinder replied. "I mean, think about it. We ran into the Pegasus galaxy version of the replicators not all that long ago!"

"The Asurans," Hailey corrected her, recalling the human-form machines based on nanite technology that had been created by the Ancients. A failed experiment that had utterly turned against their creators, and now wanted to destroy every last piece of evidence the Ancients had ever existed; including Atlantis, their former home.

"Whatever," Cordy said in reply to Jennifer's comment. "But you know what freaks me out? It's the Rod McKay we met a few weeks ago from that alternate universe, or wherever the hell he really came from. Y'know, I still can't believe that his world's me is full military. Not to mention that I have a husband and son back on Earth! And the idiot couldn't even recall who my husband was? What a rip-off!"

"It's the Genii who worry me," Jennifer said in a grim voice, thinking of the Nazi-esque and militaristic humans who had been grimly fighting the Wraith for ages. "I know that technically they're our allies now, but still. That guy Kolya, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of that...terrorist scum."

"Amen," replied Lacy. "Well, it's the replicators – sorry, Asurans – who get my vote as the major worry. Sir? What about you?" she asked Xander, who hadn't said a word so far.

"The Wraith," Harris replied shortly. "Trust me – you guys should thank your lucky stars you never came along to M1B-129, when Dr. Weir sent the rescue expedition after Major Leonard's team. That damned machine those space vampires built is gonna give me nightmares for the rest of my life, I swear."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the three women stared at their commanding officer. They all knew Xander had been badly affected by the Wraith device that the Genii had discovered and messed around with on the planet in question, even if the female trio didn't know details. Harris had refused to answer their questions after the mission was over, and the ship called the _Daedalus_ had picked up the survivors. His flashback hallucination thanks to the alien apparatus was something Xander appeared determined never to speak about willingly.

Silent and somewhat subdued, the team arrived back at the Stargate and Xander nodded to Hailey. The second-in-command quickly started dialing Atlantis using the DHD, and the usual ka-wooshing spectacle took place once the wormhole connection was established.

Pausing only to send their identification codes through to lower the energy shield iris, the members of SGA-4 quickly stepped through the rippling liquid-like interface and vanished on their way home.

--

**Atlantis Base**

**A few seconds later**

The team stepped out of the Stargate, only to be greeted by the frantic form of Dr. Radek Zelenka. "Come on, move, quickly!" the Czech scientist gestured to SGA-4. "Get back over here!"

"Why? What's going on?" Cordelia demanded at once, even as she and the others obeyed.

"We're expecting visitors. A delegation of the Ancients is about to beam down along with the crew of the _Daedalus_," Elizabeth Weir proclaimed proudly as the Stargate shut down.

"WHAT?" all four members of SGA-4 said in unison. Then Harris asked, "I thought they were just testing how the new Midway Station worked?"

"I don't believe it," Cordelia said, ignoring that. She was a former ascended being herself after her time on Earth, and knew that apart from the outcasts and dissidents no Ancient would ever abandon their non-corporeal existence like that. Then she tensed up, "Have they come for me?"

"No, Cordelia, I'm not talking about your former...colleagues. We discovered a Lantian warship known as the Tria out in intergalactic space, moving at relativistic speed," Elizabeth explained. "The crew were real, flesh and blood Ancients who were on their way to Earth after Atlantis was evacuated – people who never ascended."

"How many?" Xander asked at once, getting a bad feeling about this for some reason.

"Just over a hundred," Teyla Emmagan said, the Athosian woman standing directly alongside Weir.

The Canadian technician named Chuck called out, "Dr. Weir. The _Daedalus_ is ready to beam down our people and the Ancient delegation."

"Thank you." The brunette woman turned towards the Stargate, zipping up her jacket. A few moments later the transporter beamed down Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, the blonde woman known as Commander Helia and several other Ancients.

"Everyone – this is Helia, captain of the Ancient ship Tria," Sheppard said, gesturing to the person in question.

"I'm Dr. Elizabeth Weir. It's an honor to meet you," the brunette commander smiled warmly.

Helia smiled back at her and said, "Thank you. And from what I'm told, you've done a remarkable job preserving our city."

Elizabeth said modestly, "Well, we did what we could with what we had."

Helia's face suddenly turned serious. "I need to speak to the leader of your people."

Weir exchanged a quick look with her people. "I'm in charge of the Atlantis expedition."

Helia shook her head. "You misunderstand me, Dr. Weir. I need to talk to the one who can speak for ALL the people of Earth."

Elizabeth didn't get it. "That can certainly be arranged, but may I ask why?"

Helia smiled for a moment, and a console rose up from the floor between her and Elizabeth. Instantly, Ronon Dex snatched out his blaster and the former Runner aimed directly at it.

McKay said in confusion, "What is that? How come I've never seen that?"

Helia walked to the console and put her hand on it. All around the control room, the screens went blank as the technicians manning their stations looked around in alarm and dismay. "Excuse me, but what's going on?" Weir demanded as she saw what had just happened.

Helia looked calm and collected. "Thank you for all that you've done, Dr. Weir, but your guardianship of this city is no longer necessary. Atlantis is now under my control."

--

**Doctor Elizabeth Weir's office**

**Some time later**

Xander, Cordelia, Rodney, John and Elizabeth were all crowded into the room, waiting for the two people known as General Jack O'Neill and Mr. Richard Woolsey to return from their meeting with the Ancients. O'Neill was the Director of Homeworld Security now, and Woolsey was a member of the IOA, the International Oversight Advisory (the organization that provided oversight for the Pegasus galaxy expedition), and together these two men were the joint representative of Earth in dealing with the new arrivals to Atlantis.

The mood was not a good one, as everyone awaited word what the city's new owners were planning to do. "They're gonna want all of us out of here, aren't they?" Xander asked pessimistically.

"No doubt about it, in my mind," Sheppard said in the same tone of voice.

McKay asked, "But why? There are what, maybe a hundred or so of them? I mean, they could use us. They might even NEED us!"

John shook his head. "Look at it this way, Rodney. What if you were forced from your home by a war, and then return – only to find someone on your couch, eating your Cheetos, watching your TV?"

Rodney said unconvincingly, "Well, I'd be fine with that."

"No you wouldn't," Cordelia told him with a scornful look. "You'd be complaining so loud, the only way to shut you up would be to threaten you with citrus fruit."

"Well, hey, you're a former Ancient. Can't YOU talk some sense into them?" McKay shot back at her in annoyance.

"It wouldn't do any good even if she tried," Elizabeth spoke up. "I've met folks like this before, when I was doing NATO negotiations. They won't be swayed by anything like that sort of emotional appeal."

"This sucks," Xander said flatly. "They abandon this place, gave up. Then we get here and fight with even less than they had, and win. Hell, we've taken out several Hive ships in a few years…and now they just pat us on the head and take over again?"

Before anyone could respond to that, General O'Neill came to the glassed-in office looking like he was just plain tired. Sheppard got up right away, "What's the word, sir?"

Jack sighed, "She's made up her mind. For now at least, we have to vacate the city."

"Damn it," Xander said under his breath.

"How long do we have?" Weir asked.

"A little over 48 hours," she was told. "With the _Daedalus_ cargo bays, plus their ZPMs powering the Stargate back to Earth, shouldn't take that long." O'Neill looked to Sheppard. "Colonel Sheppard, start making the preparations for full evacuation."

"Yes sir," Sheppard said as he left the room.

Cordelia got up and came over to O'Neill. "What did you mean before? When you said 'for now at least'."

The older man shrugged. "She said we would be welcomed back one day, granted no mention of when that would be. Though they are letting one person stay behind to act as a liaison with Earth."

"I'd like to volunteer for that job, sir," Dr. Weir said very quickly.

"Not gonna happen," O'Neill told her as Elizabeth's face fell. "The IOA think someone less attached to the place would be a better fit, so they picked Woolsey."

"That prick?" Cordelia asked, surprised.

"Yep." O'Neill didn't seem surprised at hearing her call his colleague that, everyone in the room knew how there was little love lost between Miss Chase and Mr. Woolsey.

Xander saw Elizabeth head over to the far glass wall to look over the Gate room. "Come on Cor, guess we've got some packing to do."

As the two left, O'Neill went over to console the devastated Dr. Weir over the loss of her command. Xander and Cordelia didn't get past the control room, though, before Richard Woolsey stopped them. "Ah, Ms. Chase, Captain Helia would like to speak with you…alone."

**--**

**Atlantis Main Conference Room**

**A few minutes later**

Cordelia came into the room, and the open door rotated closed behind her. "You wanted to talk to me?" she asked the blond woman.

"Yes." The Ancient commander studied her companion carefully and said, "According to my information, you were born on Earth only a few decades ago...and yet you were able to reach Ascension. Is that true?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Cordelia said, not caring.

Helia looked taken aback for a moment, and then she said, "To ascend was always the dream of most of my people, as I'm sure you know. I'm certain that there's much that we could learn from one another, if you would stay here to act as the liaison to Earth-"

"Hang on a moment," Cordelia interrupted. "Lady, you're kicking all of my friends out of here, the people who have saved this city time and time again – who've made Atlantis their home, who've fought and died in order to preserve it – and now, you want me to stay because you think I'd be useful to YOU?" She shook her head. "And they call ME selfish and self-centered!"

"I don't understand," Helia looked confused.

"Of course you don't," Cordelia told her. "Lady, you and your great people sank this city to the bottom of the ocean and ran away with your tail between your legs! You left an entire galaxy to suffer at the hands of the Wraith. And now that it's safe to come back, you act like you're oh-so-high and mighty..."

"We did not leave lightly," Helia replied, the bad memories fresh in her mind. "We spent a hundred years fighting wave after wave of Wraith…"

"Well, what do you think WE'VE been doing?" Cordelia demanded. "We've destroyed several Hive ships, fought back the Replicators that you created…and we're still here."

Helia held up her hand to stop the younger woman's rant. "I do not diminish what your people have accomplished here, but we need to rest after so long a journey and require some time to ourselves."

"You've had time to yourselves," Cordelia reminded her. "According to what McKay said, you've had the last twelve years on a busted spaceship in the middle of the big galactic void." She gave the older woman an upset stare. "I had a home here, friends, a new life…one that I was happy with. I even had a six bedroom apartment on the water here! You know how much that would cost in LA?"

It was obvious that Helia didn't. Cordelia stepped right up to the Ancient woman and said, "You say you want to know about Ascension? Well, I can tell you this much…with your ego and attitude, the chances are you'll end up Wraith food instead."

"What?" Helia said, very surprised to the bluntness of that comment. "Cordelia…"

"Save it," Cordelia snorted before she stormed over to the doors, hit the open button and left the older woman behind standing in shock.

--

**Xander's Quarters, Atlantis**

**Two days later**

Xander came into his expansive penthouse living room, and tossed the last box of his stuff into the metal storage container. Like many others, he wasn't happy having to leave Atlantis like this; the city had become his home over the last two years, not including the year SGA-4 had spent captive inside the Sanctuary. Harris knew this wasn't the worst way the expedition could have ended, but in his opinion it still majorly sucked.

"Hey," Cordelia said as she, Jennifer and Lacy came in his open front door. "You finished packing yet?"

"Just about," Xander said as he tossed a few stray items into the storage container. "What about you guys?"

"We're all done, sir," Hailey replied, adding the title automatically.

"You can forget the sir from now on...Jennifer," Xander hid a grin as the military officer raised her eyebrows. "I'm not your C.O. anymore, remember?"

"That'll take some getting used to, uh, Xander," the female USAF officer replied slowly. "Especially after everything we've been through together."

"Yeah. So, what's everyone gonna do once we arrive back at Stargate Command?" Cordelia asked as she sat on the Ancient version of a sofa.

"Well, I'm pretty sure the Air Force already has something in mind for me," Hailey said. "Most likely Area 51, working on as much of the city's database as we can take back with us."

"I'm betting on going back to England," Lacy admitted to her friends, given how she was a British citizen and ineligible for duty in Colorado. "Maybe back to my old posting."

"Not sure what I'm gonna be doing," Xander admitted as he sealed his container and locked it. "I heard Sheppard is getting his own SG team, hell I talked to Caldwell and he said that the ships might start having SG teams aboard full-time. Kind of like Marines on an aircraft carrier."

"You're going to stay in the program?" his ex asked him. "Not going for a Watcher posting?"

Harris shrugged. "Never was much of a bookworm, Cor." He turned on the beacon on the container, and it was instantly beamed up the _Daedalus_ cargo bay. He then paused to look over his friends and now former team members. "Hey, not to get all emotional here, but I just want to say it for the record. You three are the best people I could have ever worked with here in Atlantis, and I'm really gonna miss what we had together. And is it just me – or does anyone else feel like this is like a pure Kodak moment?"

The three females stared at him for a moment, before the grins broke out and all four members of SGA-4 joined together for a farewell embrace.

--

**Colorado Springs, Colorado **

**Three days later**

Xander opened the door to his new apartment, and ushered Cordelia inside. "So. How's it feel to finally get off the base?"

"Like I just got let out of prison," Cordelia said enthusiastically. "I'm telling you, having Teal'c and Vala Mal Doran as your neighbors? Not fun. All that he ever did was meditate in his room all the time, so I couldn't make any noise in order not to disturb him, and all that she ever did was check out my stuff looking for anything she could possibly steal!"

"Well, you're free now...Cordelia Chance," Xander smirked at the pseudonym the military had provided for her – since 'Cordelia Chase' was officially deceased – and which he knew Cordy truly despised. "And tomorrow, we're gonna go apartment hunting for you. Welcome back to life on Earth."

"Yeah. Whoopee for me," Cordy said in a low voice, as she collapsed onto the sofa.

"Cordy, is there something wrong?" Xander asked as he sat down beside her.

"It just hit me, Xander...what exactly am I gonna do with my life now?" the woman asked slowly. "I don't want anything to do with the military, there's nothing for me there. All my friends from my time in LA are gone...well, apart from Angel of course, but I have no plans to see HIM again anytime soon."

"I get that," Xander replied, knowing how hurt his former teammate had been with regard to the ensouled vampire finding someone else to replace her so quickly. "Well, we've both got enough back pay that we could go to England if you like, hook up with the old Scooby gang for a while?"

"What for?" Cordelia asked simply. "Okay, yeah, we should pop over to explain the how and why regarding my presence and all, but Xander...I was never really part of that group, and you know it. They tolerated me for your sake, but that's it; I mean, back when I decided to leave Sunnydale and become a Hollywood actress, no one apart from you even tried to talk me out of it!"

"That was a long time ago," Xander said uncomfortably. "Longer for us than them, but still."

Cordelia stared at her ex-boyfriend and former commanding officer. "Seven years isn't all that long, Xander. Hardly a lifetime, y'know."

"I know," Harris said as he got up off the couch. "Those people we met in the Sanctuary, now THEY had a life-long commitment to something."

"Yeah. I wonder how Avrid, Teer and Hedda are doing up there, anyway. I haven't actually thought of them in quite a while," Cordelia said as she got up too.

"I'm sure they're fine. Y'know, basking in eternal enlightenment," Xander briefly contemplated their ascended acquaintances with a small grin.

"You ever wonder what things would have been like if we'd accepted their invitation to ascend that day?" Cordelia suddenly asked with an odd note in her voice.

"No," Xander said simply. "Because I've still got a whole lot of living to do as a mere mortal, and there are too many things I'd have to give up from becoming a big glowing squid like that. Beer, nachos, sex..." Harris shrugged. "Good thing I've got a guest bedroom in this place. Now let's-"

"Sex?" Cordelia's voice brought him up short. "Sex? Are you telling me that you didn't want to ascend just 'cause you'd miss SEX? Xander Harris, you're unbelievable!"

"It wasn't just that," the man said in annoyance, turning to face her once more. "And hey, you were the one who decided not to ascend without me coming along for the ride, remember?"

"Well, maybe I should have," Cordelia scowled. "I mean, what exactly are you saying to me? If I'd had sex with you that night when all four of us were totally drunk thanks to that moonshine...you and I wouldn't be here right now?"

"NO!!" Xander yelled in exasperation. "That's not...can we please change the subject?"

"NO!!" Cordelia yelled back. "You started this, and I..."

The two suddenly noticed how close they were standing to one another and they had a 'moment', so to speak. What with their history, Xander and Cordelia both knew what the other was thinking. So Xander backed away slowly in order to not yield unto temptation, but Cordelia suddenly declared, "Screw it!" and slammed her lips onto his.

"This might not be such a good..." Xander asked dazedly, when they both finally came up for air.

"Shut up," Cordelia told him firmly, having made a decision on what was going to happen next. Something that, in her opinion, was long overdue to happen.

--

**Outside Xander's apartment building**

**Later that day**

Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey and Dr. Carson Beckett approached Xander's new building. "Come on, doc – shake a leg, will you?" the honey-blonde astrophysicist demanded of her companion.

"I still don't know why you asked me of all people to drive ye here," the physician remarked in his Scottish brogue.

"Because for one thing, I don't have a car yet. Plus Lacy's being debriefed by the IOA, Colonel Sheppard is off-world, Dr. Weir isn't answering my phone calls and you're the only other member of the Atlantis senior staff still in Colorado," Jennifer told him simply, as they entered the building.

For a moment, Carson truly regretted the fact that he had been transferred to the SGC's medical staff after departing Atlantis. "Well, now, y'know, it hasn't actually been that long ever since she and Xander left the base..." Dr. Beckett started to say.

"Doc, I lived with them for over a year in the Sanctuary. So I KNOW what I'm talking about," Jennifer interrupted. "Cordelia's been wanting for us to go shopping together ever since I was assigned to SG-17 instead of going to Area 51. She wouldn't just forget about something like that, I promise you. There's no answer on her cell phone either, so I know that something's wrong," the female Air Force officer said as they finally arrived outside Xander's apartment.

Hailey quickly pushed the doorbell buzzer. "Sir? It's me, Lieutenant Hailey. I need to speak with you!"

A few moments later, Harris opened the front door. His hair was a mess and he was wearing nothing but a pair of pyjama bottoms. The former Sunnydalian said, "Hey. What are you guys doing here?"

"Xander, are ye all right? You look like..." Carson said, before his eyes went wide as Cordelia joined them from the master bedroom. Wearing nothing but Xander's pyjama top. "Oh my bloody GOD!" The good doctor looked almost on the verge of a stroke or a heart attack.

"Hey, Carson, what's up?" Cordy had a satisfied and satiated look on her face, before she saw Jennifer and she slapped her head in annoyance. "Oh, no! I completely forgot about our little shopping expedition! I'm so sorry, Jennifer, it just totally slipped my mind..."

"Yeah, and now I can see why," the blonde USAF lieutenant tried not to smirk at her friend, and silently congratulated the other woman on her good fortune. I wasn't expecting this to happen just yet, I wonder if the betting pool of them finally doing it is still on...no, probably not.

"Xander, Cordelia, I-I-I'm sorry about this. I, I had no idea that-that you two were now..." Beckett stammered in embarrassment.

"What, Carson?" Cordelia asked with an upraised eyebrow, making the poor man grind to a halt – even more embarrassed than before.

"You know, sir, it's too bad we're not in Atlantis anymore. I'd have made a fortune on the betting pool," Hailey told her former C.O.

"What? Wait up...people were making bets regarding my love life?" Xander asked in disbelief.

"Actually, over half the expedition was in on it," Carson said apologetically, finally regaining his equilibrium. "Uh, y'know, 'cause Rodney was always makin' those crass jokes about you 'n your harem, and..." He saw all their faces, and the doctor quickly shut himself up. "Never mind. We, uh, Jennifer and me, we should be going now..."

But Hailey surprised him by heading over to the kitchen to check out what Xander was cooking for a quick bite to eat. "It smells delicious, sir."

"Then I'll have to make some more for you and the doc here," Xander shrugged. "Actually, Carson, I'm kinda surprised you came along with Hailey today-"

"She bloody shanghaied me to drive her around town!" Dr. Beckett protested, pointing at Jennifer.

--

**Colorado Springs, Colorado**

**A while later**

Carson and Xander had returned to the base, while Jennifer and Cordelia had finally gone on their shopping trip. Through a fortunate coincidence Lacy had been able to join them, as her debriefing session had to be put on hold and the British woman was given some free time to spend as she saw fit.

Right now though, Lieutenant Hailey was starting to squirm as Cordelia tried to get her to buy a pair of Gucci pumps that would look better on a fashion model than a USAF officer. "I don't know, Cordelia..."

"Oh, come on! You've got a great pair of legs, you know. And it wouldn't kill you to own something other than a pair of combat boots!" Cordy told her friend in no uncertain terms.

"She's got a point," Lacy pointed out, clutching her own pair of Boracchi's.

"Well, of course I do! Besides, Jennifer, when you finally meet your Mr. Right, trust me – he'll drool at the sight of you wearing these and nothing else," Cordelia promised her.

Jennifer sighed, she knew Cordelia well enough to know her former teammate wouldn't rest until she had gotten her own way. "Fine. But I still think they'd look a lot better on you than they do on me..."

"Jennifer, I don't need these to make Xander drool at the sight of me. At least not anymore," Cordy said with a wide grin. She turned to the salesgirl standing nearby. "We'll take them."

"Very good, ma'am," the woman nodded. "Will that be cash or charge?"

Cordelia presented a credit card and said, "Charge!"

As the salesgirl walked away, Lacy squinted suspiciously at Cordelia. "You have a credit card already?"

"No, it's Xander's. I swiped it earlier on, in order to buy some decent clothes for him a bit later today," Cordelia admitted to her friends without the slightest trace of shame or remorse. "All his clothes were pre-picked in Atlan...uh, the city. Just uniforms, but now he needs grown-up clothes again, and sure as hell I can't trust him to buy anything on his own. You shoulda seen the collection of Hawaiian shirts he had back in high school!"

Wow. She's almost acting like they're an old married couple already, Hailey thought in amusement. "So, what was it like? You know..."

"The sex?" Cordelia said. "It was good. Great. Fantastic, even!"

"Really?" Lacy asked with a mischievous look on her face. "So then let's hear details..."

"What? Don't tell me you actually want to know what kind of party animal Xander can be in bed?!" Cordelia saw Hailey's look and added, "Look, it's something that's been building between us for quite a while, as I'm sure you two know. But hey, don't get me wrong, it's not like we're going to elope or whatever anytime soon. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do with my life now, after all."

--

**Head office of WC, Inc. a.k.a. The Watchers Council Main Office, London, England**

**A few minutes later**

Willow Rosenberg sighed tiredly as she stared at her companion. "Angel, come on. We've got to do something, right?"

"What do you suggest, Willow?" Angel shrugged slightly, thinking about the problem. "Tell Buffy and Dawn they're acting like immature children, with this little sibling rivalry of theirs?"

"No, that wouldn't do any good. In fact, it'll just make things worse," Willow sighed again. The office phone rang, and she quickly answered it. "Yeah, Buffy wants to see us. Come on, let's go de-militarize the zone between them..."

Willow walked out of her office, and Angel was about to follow her when the computer beeped. He went over to the machine, and was about to call out to the redhead…when the words froze in his throat. What the hell? Xander's credit card just got used. So, he's finally surfaced again from wherever he disappeared to!

Now Angel wasn't exactly computer-savvy, in fact in many ways he was woefully out of touch with the modern world. But he had learned some things back in the days when he and his crew had been running Angel Investigations, and he knew Buffy would want to know everything – so he clicked on an embedded link and it took him to a frame of a digital security camera from the shoe store Cordy, Lacy and Jennifer were in.

WHAT IN THE... The rest of the thought wouldn't form properly, but as far as Angel was concerned it didn't matter. All that mattered was that, somehow, Cordy was alive again in Colorado. So without saying anything to anyone, he took off for the U.S. at once.

Later, Willow and Buffy came back to Willow's office as the blonde Slayer said, "Okay, so why's Angel being all avoid-y with me here? I betcha Dawn got to him somehow, she's using him to run interference or something!"

"Uh, I kinda doubt that, Buffy," the redhead replied. "'Cause I was just talking to him before and OH MY GOD!" Willow shouted as she saw the alert about Xander and the pic of the camera.

"What?" Ms. Summers demanded, and then her eyes went wide as well upon seeing Cordelia's face. "Will, what's going on?"

Willow said hurriedly, "Uh, I hacked into some places in Colorado Springs a while back, since that's where Xander was last reported being seen at. His credit card was flagged – oh, but, but, but this alert's already been checked and, and, and Angel was in my office earlier..."

Buffy called the front gate and quickly determined that Angel had left in a hurry a while back. "Oh, crap! Come on, we've got to catch up to him..."

--

**Watchers Council safehouse, Colorado Springs, Colorado**

**The next day**

"Oh, for the love of Tiffany's, what hit me?" Cordy groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Blinking and trying to focus, she eventually spied the single male occupant of the room. "You CAN'T be serious! Angel, what do you think you're doing? Let me go, right now!"

"Not yet. I want to know exactly what's happened first, Cordelia. Tell me, how and when did Xander bring you back to life?" Angel demanded.

Miss Chase just struggled against her bonds, not really listening to the question. "Damn it Angel, let me go! Or I swear, you'll really regret it when my friends come for me!"

"How did Xander bring you back?" Angel pressed home the point.

Miss Chase lashed out at him, "Xander didn't resurrect me, you IDIOT! I came back on my own!"

"What?" Angel said in complete disbelief.

"I can't tell you details, and you probably wouldn't believe me even if I did. But this much I can say; Xander did NOT do some hocus-pocus to drag my ass out of Heaven! And like I said – when he, Lacy and Jennifer get here, you'll be sorry for kidnapping me like this!" Cordelia shouted, resuming her struggle to get loose.

"Cordelia Chance is a lousy alias, and I bet I can guess who came up with it," Angel said angrily. "I don't know what sort of spell Xander did to turn you against me like this, but I promise Cordy – I won't rest until it's been broken-"

"Okay, I'll only say this once. I am not (a) under a spell, or (b) possessed like I was with Jasmine," the young woman gritted out. Then she calmed down a little, "Look, Angel, let's get something straight right now. Like I told you that day at Wolfram & Hart, I'm on a different road from you nowadays. Whatever we had together in the past, things are totally different nowadays-"

"Like hell," Angel interrupted fiercely. "You're the only one of my people that I've got left!"

"Oh yeah, about what happened two months after I left you..." Cordelia got a nasty look on her face. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"

"What-?" the man involuntarily took a step backwards.

"Angel, I saw everything you did back then from the higher realms. So let me just count the ways you screwed up, pal! You let Fred become Illyria, you got everyone killed trying to take out those Black Thorn idiots – and oh, yeah! You started sleeping with that werewolf girl Nina, only a few weeks after I was gone!" Miss Chase shouted at him.

Angel looked uneasy at the female glare he was receiving. "That's not...Cordelia, I didn't..."

"Yes you did, you big lunkhead! Angel, get this through your thick skull. I'm not your vision girl anymore, 'cause I don't get visions from the Powers That Be any longer. I finally moved beyond those manipulative assholes – and for the record you're not their Champion anymore either, not after you signed away your shanshu-"

Angel interrupted, "Cordelia?" He touched her cheek, and Miss Chase was stunned to learn that he was warm. As in, body temperature warm.

What the HELL? the former cheerleader asked herself in disbelief. What's going on here?

Guessing what she was asking herself Angel said, "I'm not a vampire anymore, the Powers made me human last year – I thought you knew. Look, Cordy, everything we went through over the years, especially what Jasmine did to you…I know it cost you, it cost US a lot. But in the end, it was all worth it – because now we can be together..."

"No," Cordelia cut him off, ignoring Angel's 'wounded puppy' look. She tried to wrap her head around the idea of Angel human as she said, "I…I told you, I'm on a different road to you nowadays. We're not going to just pick up where we left off in LA..."

She paused for a moment, looking a bit conflicted. "I mean I do still care about you, I won't deny that. I can't help it, 'cause I haven't forgotten what happened between us during all those years." She paused before she looked the ex-vampire in the eyes. "But when I said goodbye to you in Los Angeles, I meant it. I've got a higher purpose now."

The now human Angel looked at her confused. "You went up to be with the Powers…what can be higher than that?"

"Nothing, according to their PR machine," Miss Chase told him before she quoted what the demon Skip once told her. "'Everything alive has a connection to the Powers That Be…' what a pile of utter crap!"

Not understanding that Angel pressed on, "I want you to come back to England with me-"

"You're living in England now?" Cordy asked him. Then the penny dropped. "With Buffy and the others?" The young woman quickly rolled her eyes at his nod. "Oh yeah, color me surprised! And that's a love triangle headache I don't need. So, are her 'cookies' fully baked yet?"

Angel shook his head, not wanting to get into that. "Buffy and I…it's complicated…"

"Wow, really? Come on, Angel, it's me! It's always complicated between you two, even on a good day," she replied sarcastically. "But, no. I'm not going with you. I need some time to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with my life now, and later on the Air Force can set me up anywhere I want. I don't need your help for that, if that's what you were thinking," Cordelia said acerbically. "I want to live my own life now, not be a follower of either Buffy or you."

Angel simply couldn't understand what was going on. Inside his mind, it was all so clear; the Powers had tested him, Doyle had died for him, Cordelia had given him one last vision of the Black Thorn, all his friends (just about) had died fighting for their shared ideals. But all the bad guys had been killed too, so Cordy coming back now should have been his reward from the PTBs, their 'happily ever after' moment.

The former vampire just couldn't entertain the concept that the Powers were done using him as their puppet, and wanted to make sure Angelus never reappeared; he truly believed that all this was his reward for fighting the good fight, and so Cordelia should be with him. End of story.

Angel went to untie her when he was distracted by a clanking sound. He looked down at his feet to see a metal gold ball with a clear panel roll over and start blinking. All he heard was Cordelia's "Ah, shit..." before the world exploded into white light, and a deafening sound knocked him out cold.

--

**The same place**

**Less than an hour later**

Angel woke up to the mild sensation of someone gently slapping his cheek. "What..."

"Angel. You okay?" Willow asked, concern written all over her face.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good," the former vampire replied, before looking around. "Where's Cordelia?"

"She was here?" Buffy asked, a strange expression on her face. "We didn't find anyone in this place but you."

"Oh, hell, someone took her?" Angel looked instantly worried. "We gotta find her!"

Miss Summers now looked annoyed. "What happened? Start at the beginning, and don't leave anything out!"

The man spoke briefly about what he'd done, and tried his best to ignore the female glares that started coming his way. Eerily reminiscent of Cordelia earlier on Buffy and Willow both said at the same time, "What were you thinking?"

"It's Cordelia. She's very important to me," Angel riposted at once. "I mean, what would you two have done if it was Dawn?"

"But telling Cordy that you knew how Xander had dragged her out of the afterlife?" Willow almost shouted. "Of course Xander didn't bring her back...he wouldn't do something like that!"

"Like you wouldn't take Buffy out of Heaven?" Angel asked her with a strange look.

Willow's face went red. But before she could answer that, armed men in black tactical gear burst in with guns. "Hands in the air or we shoot!" one of the men in black shouted. Buffy instantly began to move into an attack posture, and a bullet whizzed past her ear. "The next one won't miss! And if your friends try anything either, you all leave here in a body bag!"

The redhead was tempted to use her magic to disarm them all but quickly decided against it, she was sure that they could quickly talk their way out of this. So Willow, Buffy and Angel held up their hands, and were surprised to see Xander and two women they didn't know come into the place with the same black uniforms on.

"Xander?" Buffy and Willow said again in unison.

Xander looked pissed enough to take on an entire Wraith fleet all by himself. "You guys better have one hell of an explanation for this!"

Thanks to habit from his bloodsucker days Angel growled incoherently at Xander, as Buffy and Willow started to explain, and then Harris quickly redirected his fury to Angel alone. But before he could say anything though, the black ops commander reported, "She's not here, sir, we've searched everywhere!"

"Where is she?" Lacy demanded, raising her gun and pointing it straight at Angel's heart.

"Where's who?" Angel replied.

"You know who! CORDELIA!" Jennifer shouted, taking aim with her pistol as well.

"What's she to you?" Angel narrowed his eyes at Xander's former second-in-command.

"You seem to be under the mistaken impression that you're in charge here, vampire," Xander said way too calmly. "Now I suggest you start talking. Or else trust me, you won't like the consequences."

"Um, Xander? Angel's not a vampire anymore," Willow interjected. "Haven't you noticed? He's human now. Breathing, reflection, pulse and everything."

Xander looked surprised as hell to hear that, as one of the commandos presented a small circular device for his commander's inspection. "Sir, we found this."

The black ops man frowned, and passed it to Xander. "This what I think it is?"

Xander nodded, he was familiar enough with Goa'uld technology after reading SGC mission reports, and when Colonel Caldwell had briefly ended up a snakehead a few months back. He touched the radio mic in his ear and said to the crew of the _Apollo_ up in orbit, "Do another sweep for Cordelia's transmitter."

#She's right there in the room with you,# the technician said in reply. #About five feet to your left.#

"Shit..." Xander cursed, as he started looking down at the ground.

"Sir, what's wrong?" Pinder asked, a frown appearing on her features.

"I found it," Xander leaned down and picked up the subcutaneous transmitter. "They cut it out of her, God damn it. That means it's gotta be the Trust!"

"The who?" Buffy, Willow and Angel all said at the same time. "Who would want to kidnap Cordy?" Angel then demanded of his captor.

"You mean besides yourself?" Xander asked scornfully.

That was the last straw as far as Angel was concerned, though. His temper completely frayed he moved forward, determined to get some answers out of this...asshole. But in his foul temper, Angel had forgotten that he wasn't a super-powered vampire any longer...

And so he was not prepared when Harris nailed him with a right cross to the jaw. The former demon hit the ground hard, stunned that the doughnut boy of all people had done that to him.

"Uh, guys, come on, this isn't the time for this..." Willow started to say, worried that the situation would degenerate into a bar room brawl. Buffy looked rather concerned too; she knew just how badly Xander had always wanted to kick Angel's ass, and now that they were on a level playing field...

But as Angel scrambled up, Jennifer shot the former Scourge of Europe with her zat weapon and blasted him unconscious.

"Angel!!" Buffy screamed in fear and horror.

"He'll be fine, one shot with those things only stuns," Xander said almost absently. He then turned to the squad commander, "Take them to the car and back to the base for questioning."

--

**Trust warehouse facility, location unknown**

**Later that night**

Cordelia groaned as she returned to consciousness for the second time today. Ugh, that's it. I wanna go back to Atlantis, 'cause I'm really starting to hate this planet!

"I hope you're not suffering any unforeseen side effects from the stun weapon?" a smooth female voice asked, as Cordelia noticed she was in restraints again. And this time, she was strapped to a gurney as well.

Focusing, Miss Chase stared at her captor as the blonde woman came into her field of vision. "Who the hell are you? And why am I here?" she demanded bluntly.

"I am your new god, Cordelia Chase. But you may call me Athena," the Goa'uld suddenly said in her alien voice, as her eyes glowed yellow-white for a few seconds.

"You're a god?" Cordelia said sarcastically, glaring at the snakehead. "Yeah, right, and the Devil really does wear Prada! And you still haven't answered my second question. What does the god of bad hair perms want with little old me?"

Athena looked annoyed for a moment. "Did you honestly think the Trust would not find out that a former ascended being from Atlantis was now residing here on Earth? We couldn't risk taking Dr. Jackson...but you, on the other hand..."

"What about me?" Cordelia snorted, easily able to figure out how the question was expected from her. Typical supervillain parasite, all ego and wanting to impress the locals!

"You represent an opportunity. And I will obtain all the information with regard to the Ancients that is still within your brain," Athena said simply, gesturing to a machine not far away. "You are going to tell me all you know about being an ascended being."

"Sorry, can't help you there, no memory of it...they took it all away," Cordy confessed.

Athena held up a Tok'Ra memory device. "I have a way of fixing that."

She put the device on Cordy's temple, and Miss Chase yelled in pain while it attached. "Ow. OW!"

Athena told her in that reverberating alien voice, "Now let's see what's really in there, shall we?"

Cordelia cringed in pain as the device pushed through her mind. She had lost all sense of time by the point when the two Trust agents known as Devon and Weaver brought in the unconscious Vala Mal Doran. "Where do you want us to put her?"

"Vala?" Cordelia asked, recognizing her former SGC neighbor.

"Restrain her and keep her unconscious over there, for now," Athena ordered.

"I'm not sure what use she'll be to you; apparently, she doesn't remember anything," Weaver told his boss.

"Irrelevant. At the moment I am more interested in knowing what a former Ancient can tell me, rather than Qetesh's former host," Athena said in her human voice. "I may have to do more than find what Qetesh kept from me, but I have all the time in the world in which to do it."

--

**Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado**

**The same time**

Xander was almost beside himself with worry, as he, Jennifer and Lacy were joined by some members of the SGC's flagship team SG-1. The one and only Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Colonel Cameron Mitchell.

"Colonel Carter! It's good to see you again," Jennifer said in surprise upon seeing her old mentor.

"Good to see you too, Lieutenant Hailey," the blonde woman nodded with a smile. She recognized Xander as well, vaguely, but not the female British officer.

"Any news?" Xander demanded.

"Well, we've got the local authorities searching the area and conducting interviews with every possible witness. So far they've come up empty," Mitchell shrugged.

Lacy shook her head. "From what Xander said, there's no question about this Trust organization being behind Cordelia's disappearance. I mean, apparently they're the only ones with the resources capable of pulling something like this off?"

Daniel nodded, "Yes, that's why I've put a call through to Agent Barrett. He's got his people working on it. We'll find her."

"Agent Barrett?" Xander looked at Jackson curiously.

"He's a good man with a lot of connections who's worked with us before, you can trust him," Mitchell reassured him.

"I just wish he'd been able to find Vala," Daniel sighed.

"Vala?" Jennifer asked.

"She's someone else we think the Trust kidnapped. She's missing too," Carter explained.

"Right, Cordelia's mentioned her recently," Xander frowned. This can't be just coincidence, can it? And there's got to be something more I can do than just sit around here...

--

**Stargate Command Interrogation Room**

**Not long after dawn**

Buffy, Angel and Willow were being interrogated for what they knew at the SGC, which admittedly wasn't much. The three of them were alone with a hard-nosed USAF major in one of the interrogation rooms, and Angel was handcuffed to the chair – since he wasn't the type to just do as he was told, and besides Harris didn't trust the ex-vampire as far as he could throw him.

"How did you know Cordelia Chase was alive? And why did you kidnap her?" the military officer demanded, and not for the first time.

"I already told you, we saw a security camera picture of her yesterday in London," Willow said wearily.

"And Angel didn't exactly kidnap her..." Buffy started to say.

"I have sworn statements that this man grabbed Ms. Chase from a parking lot outside a Starbucks coffeehouse, and took her away to the residence where we found all three of you," the major said grimly. "So if that's not kidnapping, then what is it?"

"They used to work together, and Angel would never hurt Cordelia," Willow tried to maintain a calm and reasonable tone. "He was just wanting for them to talk..."

"Talk?" the interrogator demanded skeptically.

"Yes, talk. In private. Is that so hard for you to understand?" Angel snapped, fed up with being held captive like this.

"What I find hard to understand is why "Liam O'Reilly" doesn't appear to exist, at least before last year," the military man growled. "Anything you'd care to tell me about that?"

"That's none of your business," Buffy told him huffily.

"Miss Summers, identity fraud is something the U.S. government takes very seriously ever since the events of 9/11," the major snarled back at her. "And my instincts are telling me that if I dig hard enough, I'll be able to prove that Mr. O'Reilly here arrived in the U.S. using a fake passport. Under such circumstances, I can have him arrested on suspicion of being a terrorist, and sent to jail to await trial for his crime." He let that one sink in and then demanded, "Now I want the truth out of you people. For the last time, how did you know Cordelia Chase was alive? And why did you kidnap her?"

Buffy for one didn't like his attitude or the fact that a camcorder had been recording everything throughout the interrogation. She saw Xander watching from the observation windows and yelled out to him, "Xander, will you please just come down here and let me explain things? I don't want to have to call Riley, because then you'll be the one who'll be in trouble!"

Harris disappeared from the windows and soon entered the interrogation room. "You want to call Riley? As in Riley Finn?"

"What other Riley do we know?" Willow asked. "Look, Xander..."

"Riley Finn is a man with a wife and two kids who doesn't run around hunting the things which go bump in the night, at least not anymore. I've checked; he's just a cog in the military machine now, an Army captain at Fort Bragg." Xander pointed at the interrogator. "This guy is a major, who therefore outranks him. And does his uniform look like Army to you?"

"Ah…maybe?" Buffy said, unsure.

Just then, Jennifer and Lacy came into the room as well. "Sir, SG-1 just got the locations of a few Trust hideouts where they think both Cordelia and Vala might be being held at," Lieutenant Pinder reported.

"Who's SG-1?" Buffy asked.

"Who's the Trust?" Willow added.

"And who's Vala?" Angel finished up.

"None of your business," Lieutenant Hailey growled at him, having taken a great dislike to the former vampire ever since they'd met at the Council safehouse.

Xander ignored the by-play, as he signaled the _Apollo_ to beam him and his teammates up to the ship. In the interests of time, the beam-out took place right in front of Buffy, Willow and Angel – and the camcorder recorded their shocked looks for posterity.

How did Xander do that? Willow asked herself in disbelief, thinking that Harris and his lieutenants had just magically teleported away. Oh man, has he got a lot of questions to answer later on!

--

**The lab within the Trust warehouse facility**

**A short time later**

Cordelia was writhing and grimacing in pain, as Devon and Weaver continued to probe her mind. "This is taking too long. She's still resisting too much."

"Why don't you let me try to persuade her to help you?" a sugary female voice said from the opposite side of the room, as both Trust agents turned around. "Come on, boys, what do you say?"

Weaver looked annoyed at his partner. "I thought you were supposed to keep her sedated?"

"I did! It's her damned physiology, the drugs wear off sooner than normal," Devon replied.

"Well, don't you two know how to make a girl feel all special?" Vala smiled charmingly.

Devon went to shut her up with a gag, as his partner adjusted the feed to try to penetrate the Ancient blocks surrounding Cordelia's memory. Suddenly, Weaver's eyes went wide, "I think I got something!"

Devon quickly forgot about Vala, as he hurried to look at the screen. "What...what is that?" he asked in a hushed tone, staring in disbelief at several beings composed of white light who also appeared to have squid-like tentacles.

"Some of us think you would understand better, if you completed the journey you started back in Sunnydale," a voice was heard coming from the TV monitor.

Another of the ascended beings spoke. "You took the first steps when you learned to care for someone other than yourself with Alexander. Then to help others, because of your visions. But you have not completed the journey that all who come here must do."

"What are you saying?" Cordelia's voice asked worriedly. Then she sounded as if she'd had an epiphany. "You want me to return to human life, and try to ascend the same way the rest of you did?"

"Many of us think that this is the only way to truly release your burdens, to cease looking back – the way you seem determined to keep doing," another of the ascended told her.

"Fine! I know when I'm not wanted," Cordelia's voice seemed to ooze contempt. "But if you think you're just going to dump me in the middle of nowhere the way you did with Daniel Jackson, naked and with amnesia, you're out of your tiny little ascended minds! I'm going to go help Xander and his friends in Atlantis, and if any of you get in my way – oh boy, will you regret it!!"

Just then, the occupants of the room heard gunfire and the sound of zats blasting in the distance, distracting them away from the screen. "Cover the door," Weaver commanded, as Devon grabbed a handgun.

"Right. What's the plan?" the Trust agent wanted to know, as his partner started undoing Cordelia's bonds.

"We grab her and get out of here."

"What about that one?" Devon gestured to Vala, who just smiled sweetly back at him.

"We can't take them both, and I know her reputation. Just leave her where she is, as far as I'm concerned the SGC can have her – for now, anyway," Weaver decided.

At that moment, Devon was taken down by a zat blast in the back from one of the enemy attackers. Weaver hurriedly started shutting down the machinery, when his whole world went black – thanks to Vala having gotten loose and knocked him out from behind.

"You should have taken care of me when you had the chance," the former thief said simply, as she was joined by Stargate Command's rescue forces and Xander quickly released Cordelia from her bonds.

"Vala!!" Daniel Jackson cried out, coming forward in her direction.

"The name's Val," the alien woman who'd been working as a waitress took a step back, despite instantly being sexually attracted to the newcomer. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Daniel!" the archeologist looked confused as he skidded to a halt.

"Have we met? Because I, um, I have no idea who you are," Vala said hesitantly.

"What?" Jackson asked in disbelief.

"I don't remember anything before a few days ago," Vala admitted sheepishly.

"Look, can we possibly save the happy reunion stuff for later?" Xander asked, as he helped the very woozy Cordelia stand up. "Because right now, we should just get the hell out of here!"

After promising Vala that he could help restore her memories, Daniel led her away from the combat zone as both couples quickly ran outside – just before the warehouse exploded, as part of the Trust's failsafe contingency plans.

--

**Stargate Command Infirmary, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado**

**An hour later**

Vala Mal Doran's memories had been restored by the doctors and technicians at the base, and the woman was now safe and happy as an official member of SG-1. Cordelia Chase was feeling troubled though, as Dr. Carolyn Lam finished checking her patient and departed to her office. The memory device had unearthed something she'd previously been unable to remember, and now the young woman felt like there was something important she SHOULD know...and yet, she didn't.

Damn it, Cordy cursed. What's all this mean? And why exactly DID I give up so easily and become human again, anyway?

Miss Chase had no time to ponder the question however, as Xander, Hailey and Lacy joined her in the infirmary. "Well, this brings back memories," Harris smirked at her. "Of course we were all back in Atlantis then, not long after you showed up naked in the Gate room..."

"And if you don't shut up about that, once and for all, you won't see me naked again for a month!" Cordelia snapped automatically.

"Are you okay?" Lacy asked gently, preferring not to pursue the previous topic of conversation.

"Fine," the brunette woman replied. "They're just keeping me here for observation."

"I'm glad you're okay," Jennifer told her.

"So am I," Xander added sincerely. He then looked around, "Uh, Cordelia, I'm not sure if this is the right time...but Buffy, Willow and the now Un-Deadboy want to talk to you before we let them outta here. If you want, I can tell them we'll do this some other time..."

"No, it's fine. You three make yourselves scarce, and I'll deal with them," Cordy sat up in the bed.

"Are you sure?" Xander asked uncertainly.

"Positive. Now scram," Cordy shooed them all away.

As her teammates departed and Buffy, Willow and Angel came in, Cordelia mentally prepared herself for the upcoming conversation. "Hey. Been a while – well, apart from you of course, Angel."

"Are you all right?" Angel asked worriedly.

"Fine," she said calmly. "I mean, now that I'm not tied up anymore, which I've gotten pretty tired of lately let me tell you!"

Angel went red with embarrassment. "Yeah, uh, I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry I let the anger get the best of me, it's just that I was worried about you..."

"You don't have to be, not anymore. I have my friends and my new family to look after me now," she told him simply, ignoring the look he sent her in return.

"You mean Xander and those other two women?" Buffy asked.

"Yes."

"Cordelia...Angel told us you came back on your own. Is that true?" Willow asked in semi-wonder. "I mean, you'd have to be the first person in nearly 2000 years to have done that!"

"Not really." Miss Chase smirked at the comparison before saying, "I can guess that you guys want to know details. But I can't tell you anything, apart from the fact I knew Xander needed my help and I became human again after a very lengthy discussion on the subject. I'm not allowed to tell you anything else, what with all the non-disclosure agreements I had to sign in order for us to be able to stay together."

It was obvious Angel didn't like hearing that. "You've fallen in love with him, haven't you?"

"I think so," Cordy said slowly, much to Buffy and Willow's surprise. "But I don't want to rush into anything. If it works out between us this time, it won't be because Xander and I constantly end up in life or death situations and our hormones take over; we're not in high school anymore. I want to see if we can work like those stupid sitcom couples on TV. You know, the ones with the loser husband and the inconceivably beautiful wife?"

"Cordelia," Willow smiled, even as Buffy shook her head and Angel scowled.

"And let me offer you guys some free advice. Don't pester Xander with too many questions about what's happened over the past day or so, okay? He won't answer them, on account of he's not allowed to. Just like all the rest of us, he had to sign a lot of non-disclosure agreements and he'd end up in prison for the rest of his life in order to satisfy your curiosity."

"That's ridiculous!" Buffy proclaimed, refusing to believe it.

"No it's not. But my point is, you people should just go home and not worry about Xander and me. We'll be fine. I mean I'm not sure what I'll be doing in the near future, but whatever it is – he'll be there to help me through it." Cordelia looked as sure as she could be about that.

Which truly made Angel want to howl in pain, at how he'd lost his beloved seer all over again.

--

**Stargate Command Briefing Room #1, Colorado**

**Tuesday October 10****th**** 2006**

**9:53 PM**

A little over five weeks had passed, and things had changed quite a great deal.

Buffy, Willow and Angel had reluctantly gone back to England, after it became obvious no further answers were going to be forthcoming from Xander and Cordy. Lacy had gone back to England as well, once her debriefing was over. Jennifer had transferred to Area 51 after a major personality clash with her new commanding officer, which had surprised Cordelia not at all.

Xander and Cordelia had moved into a bigger apartment together, and their situation had become amazingly domestic in a very short amount of time. Less than an hour ago, however, the two had been woken up by the telephone after they'd fallen asleep on the couch watching TV, and summoned to an urgent meeting with the SGC base commander.

General Landry hit a button on a remote control and a recording began to play on the wall screen. Jack O'Neill appeared in a poor quality transmission, broadcasting from Atlantis' control room. "Atlantis is under attack from replicators. Somehow they figured out how to override their programming. The Ancients were taken off guard and have lost most of the city already."

Richard Woolsey, standing behind him, turned to face something off camera and fired a pistol at it several times. O'Neill said, "Request immediate evacuation!"

Woolsey screamed as he turned towards Jack, "They're coming!"

The recording finished at that moment and Landry said to Xander and Cordelia, "You should know that I showed this recording to Colonel Sheppard, Doctors Weir, McKay and Beckett yesterday. I told them there wasn't going to be any rescue attempt, due to General O'Neill's standing orders to destroy Atlantis before the replicators use it to invade our galaxy. They took a jumper back to Pegasus anyway, probably to meet up with your friends Teyla and Ronon in order to stage some sort of half-assed rescue plan."

Xander stood up. "Sir, apart from Colonel Sheppard, I know my way around Atlantis better than anyone. Hell, I helped explore it all back when the expedition first started! The colonel's gonna need backup, if you'll just give me and my team a company of Marines we can gate in to help-"

"Not gonna happen. The _Daedalus_ is gonna be there at any moment, and Colonel Caldwell has his orders," Hank interrupted.

"You're going to destroy the city," Cordy said in horror. "If they're still alive in there, you're going to murder your own people! How can you do something like that?"

"I have my orders as well," Landry snapped at her. "Now, I already asked this of your former colleagues, but seeing as how I can't really put a lot of faith in their intel right now, what I want to know is this: what's the best way to get a nuke past the shield?"

"What?" Xander demanded, appalled.

Luckily, a voice belonging to Master Chief Walter Harriman was heard to echo over the loudspeaker the very next moment. "Unscheduled off-world activation!"

Landry and his two associates immediately ran for the control room. "What is it, Walter?" the two-star general demanded.

"Transmission from Atlantis, sir. It's General O'Neill," Harriman said in thinly veiled disbelief.

"Put it on screen," Landry commanded. "Jack, is that you?"

"Yes, General, it is," O'Neill's smirking features appeared on the monitor.

"How can I know that for certain?" Landry asked. "For all I know, you might be a replicator."

"True, but I'm not. You can get Caldwell to verify it for you soon enough, but Hank, I just wanted to be the first to tell you that the problem's been solved. The space Lego's all been turned into itty bitty pieces, and Atlantis is now secure. And, curiously, since all the Ancients were killed, the city is now once again under our control as well."

Barely daring to believe, Landry looked like a great burden had lifted from his shoulders as Jack spied Xander and Cordelia standing next to him. "Oh, hey campers. I just promised Elizabeth that once the IOA approves it, the Atlantis expedition can start resuming operations. Harris, I hope you and your people want to come back to this place, 'cause it sure looks like there's a big job of cleaning up to do," O'Neill snarked.

"Actually, General, I'd love to come see what the mess looks like. Because I've heard the stories about how things usually ended up back in the days when you were in command of SG-1, so I gotta see for myself just what sort of damage you've done to my city," Xander said with a straight face.

Jack opened his mouth to deliver a sarcastic retort when Elizabeth Weir came on screen. She said, "You're probably not gonna believe this, Xander, but thanks to the Asurans we now have three full ZPMs at our disposal! Start contacting everyone you can, I'll be back on Earth soon. And as soon as everybody's assembled and Richard gets the IOA's approval, we'll use the zero point modules to move everyone directly back to Atlantis!"

"Right away, Dr. Weir!" Xander said excitedly. He then turned to Landry, "With your permission, General?"

Hank just sighed and nodded his head. "Fine. As long as it gets you people out of my hair and we can start concentrating on the threat of the Ori again, do whatever you like."

--

**Xander's Quarters, Atlantis**

**Three days later**

The expedition had finally started to return to the Pegasus galaxy, and the city of Atlantis. Everyone was very happy to be back, and both Teyla and Ronon were happy to be reunited with their friends from SGA-4. But despite all that, Xander could tell that Cordelia was bothered by something.

When Harris finally decided to call her on it she grumbled, "It's nothing."

"Cordy, it's not nothing, now come on! I know you, and I know when you're upset about something. It's not about Angel, is it?" Xander asked gently.

"NO!"

"Then what?"

"Look, I'm glad to be back in Atlantis just as much as you are," Miss Chase declared. "All those weeks we were living on Earth, I was always thinking what it'd be like to come back here; so I guess it's 'home' for me nowadays, just like it is for you. But now that we ARE back..."

"What?"

Cordelia looked upset. "Well, it's – uh, you and I, we can't be together anymore. Since you, me, Lacy and Jennifer are gonna be a team again, right?"

"Right. Look, Cordy, I know what you're trying to say," Xander sighed as he sat down on the sofa. "It's the one thing I really hate about the situation. But what's the alternative? One of us transfers to another team? I don't want that, and I don't think you do either, do you?"

"No," Cordelia sighed. Then she looked at her boyfriend as she sat down as well. "But I don't want to give up on 'us', either. I did that a long time ago, and I don't want to repeat past mistakes. Plus now that I know what I'll be missing, it's gonna drive me nuts! So what are we gonna do, Xander?"

Xander shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to figure out...something. Maybe we can just tell Jennifer and Lacy to keep us in line, if our private relationship starts interfering with the job?"

"Maybe." But deep in her heart of hearts, Cordelia Chase had her doubts about that.

--

**Head office of WC, Inc. a.k.a. The Watchers Council Main Office, London, England**

**Sometime later**

Major Paul Davis looked around at the sea of expectant faces, after everyone had finished grumbling and signed the non-disclosure agreements. He had already told these people how Xander, Cordelia and their friends had returned to their previous posting, but if they wanted to know more they had to play by the rules of the U.S. government.

Because of what had happened recently, there were enough members of the IOA that had requested some at the Watchers Council be briefed on the Stargate program, given how the Council (in other words, Rupert Giles) had a high enough standing for such knowledge to be delivered. But only Giles, Buffy, Willow, Kennedy, Faith, Wood and Dawn had been given clearance. Xander had vetoed Andrew and Spike for obvious reasons, and much to Buffy's ire, no one wanted to give the now-human Angel any of this info.

Apparently being the Scourge of Europe for 200-plus years, and willingly working for Wolfram & Hart in the recent past, had made him quite a few enemies nowadays; human or not.

Davis cleared his throat, after he finished examining the papers. "How much do you people know about ancient Earth history?"

Willow said rather sardonically, "Well, a lot more than you'd think."

The major stared directly at her and said, "No, trust me – you don't know everything. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Miss Rosenberg lost the smirk as Davis opened the briefing with a slide show about the Stargate, showing an old image of the Ancient device being dug up in Giza by Professor Langford during 1928. He then went on to explain what it was and what it could do, trying his best to ignore Willow's wide eyes and bursting desire to ask technical questions regarding wormholes and energy considerations.

"Which brings us to the next part of my briefing. How much do you people know about ancient Egypt?" Major Davis asked.

"Well, I-I've read most of the extant volumes," Giles stammered, still trying to come to grips with the existence of the Stargate. Good Lord, this certainly explains a lot regarding what's in the Watcher diaries of that time, all the references to that so-called chappa'ai!

Davis then held up a book containing Daniel Jackson's theories and said, "Have you read this one?"

Giles laughed out loud, "That, that book isn't worth the paper it's printed on! Besides the ridiculous idea that the pyramids were landing platforms for alien spaceships, the author makes claims that flatly contradict established work by Professor Budge..." Giles then trailed off as he noticed everyone staring at him.

Davis said coldly, "Actually, Dr. Jackson was 100 percent correct on all his ideas, unlike that quack of a professor. And someday he'll be recognized for the genius he is, as Mr. Harris and Ms. Chase could personally tell you."

Faith, perhaps not unexpectedly, didn't buy any of this at all. "What, you gonna tell us now that X and the cheerleader are out flying on the Starship Enterprise?"

Davis shook his head simply. "No, they're presently not assigned to one of Earth's space battle cruisers. And besides, the _Enterprise_ isn't due for completion and launch till 2011."

Faith's face fell in shock, as she finally let herself believe. "Oh."

"Space battle cruisers?" Kennedy asked, stunned. "What exactly do you need space battle cruisers for?"

"Self-defense, for one; there are several alien races out there that wish both us and our allies harm," Davis admitted. "Also, they're used to shuttle personnel and supplies to and from the city of Atlantis."

"ATLANTIS?" just about everyone cried out.

-tbc-


	5. Chapter 5

Title: A Change Of Scenery 5

**Title:** A Change Of Scenery 5  
**By:** Nodakskip and Starway Man

--

**Head office of WC, Inc. a.k.a. The Watchers Council Main Office, London, England**

**November, 2006**

Rupert Giles pushed the papers away and leaned back in his chair, taking off his glasses and starting to polish them. The Watcher had a lot to think about, ever since the bombshell that Major Davis and the U.S. Air Force had dropped on him and the others recently.

All those years ago – good Lord, had it really been over a decade now? – the British man had told Buffy, Willow and Xander in the Sunnydale High School library how "this world is older than any of you know". And yet now, it was obvious that the history of the planet Earth was a lot older than HE had known either. Millions and millions of years older.

Giles had read how Daniel Jackson – and God help him, but Rupert STILL found it virtually impossible to believe that discredited charlatan was actually the highest authority of knowledge in certain circles – had been among the first to learn that life here, had begun out there.

That the people now known as the Ancients, along with their brethren the Ori, were the creators of humanity in at least three galaxies.

That the Ancients had left Earth on the city-ship Atlantis stationed in Antarctica, between five and ten million years ago, and had settled on a planet they'd named "Lantia" in the Pegasus galaxy.

Rupert pinched his nose as he closed his eyes. He knew that as part of the deal with the IOA, and in exchange for being let in on the big secret, the Council had agreed to grant Dr. Jackson and his colleagues at the SGC unrestricted access to all their ancient records. There was some hope that something could be found there in relation to the Sangraal, a device designed by the Ancient called Merlin to finally put an end to the threat of the Ori. Personally Rupert had his doubts about the whole thing, but since the planet itself was at stake here, it had to be checked out.

So for the moment, it seemed, the whole issue of Atlantis had been put on the back burner. But Rupert was determined not to let it remain so forever; he had developed a great burning desire to see the Lost City of the Ancients personally, and he knew that Willow and Buffy wanted to go there as well.

Not out of any need to see something that was older than they could ever possibly comprehend, no – those two just wanted to check up on the one and only Alexander Lavelle Harris.

It's been hard on them, I know, Giles mused to himself. After the boy simply up and disappeared without any real explanation all those years ago, it must have been maddening for the girls just to be offered mere scraps of information on occasion, whenever others saw fit. Well, at least now we all know the truth, for all the good it does us...

Giles suddenly frowned; not everyone within the Council knew the truth, of course. Angel, Spike and Andrew had deliberately been excluded from the briefing by Major Davis, despite how steamed that had made the daughter of his heart. Rupert almost got a headache now thinking of the tantrum Miss Summers had thrown after that briefing was over, so angry had she been.

Oh my Lord. God forbid if Buffy should just blurt everything out one night when she and Angel are in bed together, the Englishman thought to himself in sudden worry. Not only will she expose herself and the Council to criminal charges both here and abroad, that bloody git will start trying everything he can think of to gain access to the chappa'ai and try to drag Cordelia back to Earth – whatever that girl's personal wishes may be.

Giles put on his glasses, got up out of his chair and headed off to find Willow and Dawn. If anyone had any hope of being able to convince Buffy not to break the rules, it was her sister and her best friend, after all.

--

**Outside Doctor Weir's office, Atlantis**

**The same time**

Xander Harris and Cordelia Chase stared at one another, before entering the woman's private domain. "You sure you wanna do this?" the commander of SGA-4 asked his teammate.

"Positive," Cordy looked as determined as he had ever seen her. "Because I'm sick and tired of maintaining appearances. Let's just do it!"

Xander shrugged and went through the glass doors as Cordelia quickly followed him. Inside, Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard were waiting for the both of them to show up.

"All right, Xander, what's all this about?" Elizabeth asked her one-time personal assistant rather impatiently.

"Yeah. Your comm message was a little sparse on details," Sheppard commented a little sarcastically.

"We, uh, we have something to tell you," Xander said rather nervously, glancing at Cordelia.

"Yeah, look, let's not pussyfoot around, okay? I'm sure you two must have heard the rumors ever since we all came back to Atlantis. Carson just HAD to open his big mouth to McKay back then," Miss Chase grimaced, recalling how the Scottish doctor had confessed to her about telling his physicist friend what he had seen in Xander's apartment that day. And Rodney, perhaps not surprisingly, had started talking about the whole thing in public - for anyone within earshot to hear.

"You two are...you WERE together, on Earth," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, as she had a premonition of where this conversation was going.

"Yeah. I mean, we thought since we weren't in Atlantis anymore," Xander said slowly. "Well, y'know – there wasn't any reason not to act on our feelings any longer..."

"But now, here we all are in the city again," Sheppard commented. "So what's the deal? One of you wants to transfer to another team?"

"No!" Cordelia stated emphatically before Xander could say anything. "Me, Xander, Jennifer and Lacy are like family after everything we've gone through over the past few years. We're not just splitting up that way!"

"Then why are you two here?" Weir demanded.

"We decided to tell you..." Xander trailed off.

"Xander and me, we're still sleeping together," Cordelia told Sheppard and Weir defiantly. "We never stopped, actually. And now, it's time you two knew it."

Weir instantly looked angry. "Xander, you know the rules! The no-fraternization policy-"

"Only applies, strictly speaking, to military personnel," John interjected, much to everyone's surprise.

"Could you two please wait outside for a moment?" Elizabeth said curtly to Xander and Cordy, as the two former Sunnydalians nodded and left. Weir then exploded to the Atlantis military commander, "John, what do you think you're doing? You're, you're actually condoning this?!"

"Elizabeth, think it through. Neither one of them is military, and as long as they keep their personal life out of the job then I can't order them not to see each other," Sheppard explained himself. "What are you going to do, break up SGA-4 if Xander and Cordelia decide to stay together? They're one of the best teams I've got, and I don't want to lose what they bring to the table unnecessarily. Do you?"

"That's not the point!" Weir said in annoyance.

"Yeah, actually, it is," Sheppard insisted. "I mean this place is not your typical off-world base of operations, that's for sure. We have a multi-national population here, all of 'em with different cultural rules. And Hailey is his second-in-command, not Cordelia. So I really think we ought to just let sleeping dogs lie on this one."

"And if Xander gets either himself or the other members of his team killed because of this...unprofessional emotional attachment?" Weir asked archly.

"Well, I don't think it'll come to that, personally. But hey, it's up to you; if you decide their private relationship is inappropriate, you should tell Xander and Cordelia that and get 'em to knock it off. Of course, it might mean that you'll lose them both from this command, and maybe Lieutenant Hailey and Lieutenant Pinder as well. It's your call, Elizabeth," John shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm just trying to make you aware of all the possibilities here."

Elizabeth stared at him. "Tell Xander to come in here on your way out."

The dark-haired USAF colonel just shrugged again, and did as he was bid. Xander quickly came in, quickly repressing bad memories of being summoned into Principal Snyder's office during high school. This was hardly the same thing, after all. "You wanted to see me?"

"Sit down, Xander," Elizabeth snapped as he entered the room, reminding the young man of a certain Slayer back in the day.

"I prefer to stand, actually," Harris eyed his female superior carefully. "And you're really pissed about this, aren't you?"

Elizabeth released a small sound that was a combination of annoyance, frustration and despair. "Were you honestly expecting anything else, if I might ask? The problems all this will cause when you and your team are out in the field-! I mean, you just come in here and tell me straight out of the blue-"

"That I love her," Xander interrupted Weir's tirade. "And Cordelia, she loves me."

"Oh, for God's sake-" Weir looked exasperated with her underling.

"It's true, Elizabeth. We love one another. In the 'till death do us part' sort of way," Harris insisted. "It took a helluva long time for us to finally admit that both to ourselves and each other, but now we're finally on the same page. Look, I want you to understand something; we won't ever stray out of line whenever we're off-world on a mission, I can promise you that much. Lacy and Jennifer are our failsafe – I've ordered them to come straight to you and report it if there's ever any sign of unbecoming conduct between us. But Cordelia and I are happy together, and we just want to stop hiding it from everyone here in Atlantis. Is that too much to ask?"

Dr. Elizabeth Weir, former NATO negotiator and known critic of the military, just stared at her fellow civilian thoughtfully. "You do realize that I'm going to get John to talk to Lieutenants Hailey and Pinder, to personally confirm what you just said?"

"Fine," Harris shrugged.

"So are your other teammates aware of all this?" Elizabeth demanded.

Xander desperately tried not to snort in amusement. "Oh yeah. And they're okay with it, pretty much. I mean Cordelia's not gonna use this to start bossing them around or give them orders, it's not like she's their superior officer or anything..."

"I already know that," Weir stated. She knew how Cordelia was no one's boss within SGA-4; that was simply the way the chain of command operated within the unit. "But I'm still not happy about this, Xander."

Xander just stared at his superior. "I understand."

Elizabeth shook her head. Should she dismantle the Fourth Atlantis Reconnaissance Team and reassign its members to other duties, or keep together one of the most effective exploration teams she had – despite the unreasonable, irresponsible, and quite frankly unwelcome sexual relationship two of its members shared? Maybe I can just put them on probation, at least for now...

--

**Atlantis Infirmary**

**Three days later**

Dr. Rodney McKay burst into the medical wing, looking for the closest thing he had to a best friend. "Carson, it's finally happened! Oh, I knew it! I just knew it would happen!!"

Dr. Beckett sighed and looked around towards the staff member on duty. "Myers, could ye give us a minute?" The individual in question nodded and left the room. "Alright, Rodney, what are you talkin' about?"

McKay seemed just about to burst from excitement, as he opened his mouth to share his news. But before he could say anything, the people known as Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex came into the room. "Hey. You got a second?" the former Runner asked the medical doctor.

"Hello? Excuse me? I was trying to have a private conversation with Carson here," McKay sounded rather irritated with the interruption.

"Teyla's ankle needs treatment," the Satedan said simply, nodding to the hobbling Athosian woman.

"Oh, hell, what's happened to ye now?" Carson gestured towards one of the beds, as he helped Teyla make her way over there.

"It is nothing of great consequence," Emmagan said, as Beckett began to examine her. "I merely twisted it slightly during one of our practice matches."

"AGAIN?" Rodney asked sardonically.

"Aye, he's got a point. Ronon, you've got to start bein' more careful," Carson admonished the former Runner.

"I AM careful," Dex replied. "But y'know, what I really need is some new competition. I was talking to Xander and Cordelia the other day, they mentioned something about those Slayer types they used to hang out with." He grinned, "Can't wait for one of them to come here from Earth, to be honest. I wanna see just how good they are."

"Oh! That reminds me. Have you guys heard the latest? Harris and that stuck-up former Ancient girlfriend of his, they've officially moved in together!" McKay almost looked like he had personally proved Fermat's Last Theorem. "Radek SO owes me five bucks over that bet we made last year!"

"Rodney. You actually bet money on whether two of our friends would finally admit their true feelings for one another?" Teyla looked disapprovingly at her teammate.

"And Cordelia might actually slice your head off with her katana, if you go around bragging about that," Ronon said with a smirk, which immediately made Rodney wince in fear.

"It was my understanding though, that such relationships were forbidden between-" Teyla started to say.

"Oh, that's just between members of the military. And hey, I betcha Chase isn't gonna gripe anymore about the IOA being in charge around here, now that she's shacked up with Harris that way," McKay smirked for a moment, thinking about how those two wouldn't have been able to get away with it if this had been Stargate Command's Alpha Site or something.

"Right then, I'm done," Dr. Beckett said, finishing up taping Teyla's ankle and distracting the others from their conversation. "Now you know what to do, luv-"

"Keep my weight off it for at least twenty-four hours, and avoid any strenuous activity, yes I know," the woman with the Wraith gene nodded.

"Well, good. Off you go then." Carson gave her a pair of crutches and said his farewells to the pair, as Teyla and Ron left the infirmary.

"Carson? Uh, you don't REALLY think that woman will come after me with her sword one of these days, do you? Because, see, I-I still have a lot of living to do in this life, and I don't wanna die if she-" McKay started to babble.

"Rodney," Carson interrupted as he steered his friend to the door. "Relax. Just keep yer nose outta Cordelia and Xander's affairs, and ye'll be fine. Ach, I'm pretty sure that when you and I die, it's not gonna be at that lassie's hands..."

--

**Atlantis Gate Room**

**June, 2007**

On a trestle in front of the Stargate, lay a coffin draped in the Scottish national flag. Dr. Carson Beckett had recently been killed in the line of duty, and everyone on the expedition was still reeling from the loss; especially with the terrible and gruesome way the physician had died.

After Elizabeth ended her eulogy, she nodded up to the Control Room balcony. Dr. Weir put her hand gently onto the coffin for a moment as, on the balcony, a Scottish piper in full regalia began to play a lament on his bagpipes, and Chuck the Canadian technician dialed Earth.

The Stargate activated as John, Rodney, Ronon, Xander, Radek and the commanding officer of SGA-2, Major Lorne, walked towards the coffin. Slowly, reverently, the six pallbearers raised the coffin and walked forward towards the Gate. As the piper played on the team carried Carson's remains home, vanishing through the wormhole.

The gathering quickly broke up after the Stargate shut down, it was too painful to stay as a group any longer. Cordelia, Jennifer, and Lacy all retired to the former cheerleader's quarters. "I still can't believe he's actually gone," Miss Chase said in a haunted voice, as she started to pour three drinks at the mini-bar.

"I know. Same here," Hailey replied, her features full of sorrow. Ever since that day she'd shanghaied Beckett to help her look for Cordelia back on Earth, they had grown a lot closer – and the honey-blonde astrophysicist felt Carson's loss more keenly than she'd ever expected.

"I'm gonna miss him so much," Lacy said in her British accent. "Like Dr. Weir said, I never heard anyone ever say a bad thing about him. Whoever they get to replace Carson as the CMO around here, they're gonna have a really big pair of shoes to fill."

The three women mourned their deceased friend with a toast, "To Carson!" after Cordelia handed the drinks to Jenny and Lacy. Miss Chase then broke down and cried, as her two teammates tried to comfort her...all the while, Jenny and Lacy's own tears threatening to start falling down as well.

--

**Doctor Weir's office, Atlantis**

**July, 2007**

Life had gone on, the way it almost always does, and the tragedies of the past began to become less painful with the passing of time. Right now, Elizabeth had just given a pep talk to Carson's replacement, Dr. Jennifer Keller, before having to deal with the more day-to-day aspects of her command.

"Can I PLEASE get someone else to do these?" Rodney asked pleadingly, holding out his computer device. 

"You mean the performance evaluations?" Weir asked with an upraised eyebrow. 

"Yes!" McKay exploded. 

"No. Year-end employee reviews are important, Rodney. They're how people get promotions AND raises," the expedition leader said firmly to her department head.

McKay looked frustrated as he said, "Okay, look. Asking me to do performance evaluations is, quite frankly, absolutely ridiculous! I am the first person to admit..." He gestured down to the computer device, "...that I don't know who these people are, nor do I care to. I mean, if you'd like, I could take you down the hall to the labs and just point out the people who annoy me more than the rest, but that's about as useful as I can get." 

The door opened and both Xander and Sheppard walked in. John walked over to Elizabeth's desk, dropped his computer device onto it and said, "All done."

Dr. Weir picked up John's performance evaluations while looking pointedly at Rodney, "That was quick!" She failed to see Sheppard smile smugly at McKay, the brunette woman just started frowning while examining the readout. "Hey, John, wait a minute. You've given EVERYONE excellents and above averages!"

"Cheater," Xander said to the military commander, who merely glared at him. 

McKay ignored them both as he said to Elizabeth, "Ooh! Can _I_ do that?" 

"NO!" Weir shouted even as Rodney picked up his computer device. "Look, I know this is not the most glamorous part of the job, but you are both in leadership positions and, unfortunately, that comes with certain administrative responsibilities."

"Right. I mean, speaking for all of us who worked long and hard to get our D's in high school, you two need to just bite the bullet and figure out who's gone above and beyond this year," Xander told the other two males in the room.

Sheppard shrugged, "Well, everybody who works for me IS excellent and above average." He turned to his commanding officer, "I mean you don't want me to lie, do you? 'Cause I don't think leaders should lie, Elizabeth." 

Dr. Weir just looked at him, exasperated. Then she said, "Xander, was there a reason you happened to drop by other than to witness the...the free comedy festival around here?" It had been over six months since he and Cordelia had moved in together, and so Elizabeth had finally gotten over being annoyed with both of them for their private relationship.

Xander nodded, smothering a grin. "Came to tell you the _Apollo_ just dropped out of hyperspace." 

"They're way ahead of schedule..." Elizabeth looked rather surprised. 

All four of the Atlantis expedition members walked out into the Control Room, as Sheppard said nonchalantly, "Probably just tryin' to show off – you know, being a new ship 'n all."

Smiling, Elizabeth activated her headset radio. "Colonel Ellis, you've made excellent time on your first voyage here." 

/Thank you. I'm beaming down now/ the _Apollo_'s captain said over the radio.

"Very well. We'll meet..." 

Before Elizabeth could finish her sentence, an Asgard transporter beam deposited Colonel Abraham Ellis and four of his crewmen down right in front of the group. Ellis looked around briefly then gestured to his people, "Set up in the Conference Room." 

The crewmen immediately headed off towards the Conference Room as Ellis turned to Elizabeth, "Dr. Weir." 

Weir nodded, "Colonel Ellis." They shook hands and she added, "Welcome to Atlantis." 

The black man said, "Thank you." He looked at the other two senior personnel, "Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay. I'm glad you're here, I'll need to brief you all immediately." 

"What's going on?" Weir demanded. 

"Well, I'd prefer to discuss it in private," Ellis replied. Then he finally noticed Xander. "Oh, Mr. Harris, I'm glad to see you're here as well. Our VIP contingent is waiting for you to bring them down to Atlantis with one of your puddle jumpers."

"VIP contingent?" McKay asked in confusion. "WHY did I not know we had VIPs coming?"

"They're from the Watchers Council. You do remember them, don't you Rodney?" Elizabeth asked, privately indulging in a little payback over the whole performance evaluation thing.

"Are you kidding me? That tiny blonde who wrapped her hand around my throat back then, she had MAJOR grip-!" McKay started to rant, when he caught the amused look in Xander's eyes. "No, no, NO! Please tell me that that crazy little mad woman is not currently in orbit above the city?!"

"Wish I could," Ellis grunted. His patience had been worn very thin ever since picking up the Council delegation on Earth. Well, the 'are we there yet?' attitude most of them had had would have been enough to test the patience of a saint, to be sure.

"Look at it this way, Rodney. You get your performance evaluations done, and I'll try to keep Miss Summers off your back, okay? Have we got a deal?" Elizabeth asked a bit too sweetly.

"YES!" McKay said far too quickly, as he clutched his computer device close to his chest.

Satisfied, Weir turned to Xander and said, "Go ahead, bring your friends down here. I imagine they're going to be wanting a full tour of the facilities."

Xander nodded silently and headed off for the jumper bay, as Colonel Ellis asked Weir, Sheppard and McKay to join him for a very special briefing in the Conference Room.

--

**The **_**Apollo**_**,**__**in low Lantian orbit**

**A while later**

The _Apollo_ was an X-304 class space battle cruiser, very much like the _Daedalus_; which for the last few months had been carefully monitoring the Asuran homeworld containing the Pegasus galaxy replicators. But be that as it may, right now the _Apollo_ contained some very important people; Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Faith Lehane, Rupert Giles, and four other Slayers; one of which Xander had personally trained in the past.

"This is wicked cool," Faith said with a large grin, staring out the window at the alien world below. "I mean has Buck Rogers got nothin' on us, or what?"

"Um, yes, quite," Giles stammered, rather overawed by the sight. He'd once dreamed of being a fighter pilot when he'd been ten years old, and all this was fulfilling his childhood fantasies and then some. "When, when is Xander supposed to be here?"

"Pretty soon," Kennedy said, frowning as she stared at Willow. "Feeling any better, love?"

"No," Willow said simply, looking away out the window herself.

The others all looked very sympathetic. Ever since they'd left Earth, the moment Willow had passed the Lagrangian point L5 she had been just a shadow of her former self. That was because her connection to Gaia and its earth magic had been abruptly and unexpectedly terminated, in the most painful way imaginable, the second she'd passed beyond Earth's sphere of influence.

Her powers gone, Willow had quickly thrown up in the privacy of her quarters, not wanting Buffy to get worried about her or ask Colonel Ellis to turn around and head back to Earth in order to leave her behind. Feeling empty and gutted, the redheaded witch hadn't been surprised to discover that she couldn't even levitate a pencil anymore, despite the fact that other witches had left Earth before without suffering any ill effects at all. And after too many people had commented about how badly she looked to be doing, Willow had eventually confessed everything to her friends.

Giles had been intrigued and all the other females had said they understood what it felt like, suddenly becoming an ordinary Josephina like that. But how could they possibly get it? Willow understood that she still had her intellect, but everything else that made her special – everything that she prized in her life, apart from the people she loved – was gone.

Miss Rosenberg had finally made a vow to herself that once she returned to Earth, she was never willingly going to leave her home planet again – ever. It was now therefore very important to convince Xander to return home too, to come back where he belonged.

Speak of the devil... "Look, there he is!" Willow pointed out the window.

Everyone rushed over to have a look at the jumper coming to rendezvous with the _Apollo_. "Stud looks like he's a pretty good pilot," Faith smirked to herself. "Kinda reminds me of that smooth ride he gave me one night, way back before I went all evil in Sunnyhell..."

"Yeah, I think we can all do without THAT little trip down Memory Lane," Buffy said sharply, seeing Willow tense up at the oblique reference to Faith popping Xander's cherry eight years ago. "And please – I'll bet you Xander's not even piloting that thing, he's just a passenger-"

"He is not!" Vi, Xander's former personal Slayer, glared at Buffy for that assumption. "Because I heard from the crew how Xander's coming to pick us up alone. God, why do you always have to put him down like that? It's getting real annoying!"

"What are you talking about?" the oldest Slayer asked with a frown.

"Oh, come on, we've all heard it for ourselves!" Vi gestured to the other baby Slayers present, Kennedy, Rona and an English girl named Belle. "I mean, how many times have you said something lately about how incompetent he is, or how he needs someone to look after him? Because Xander's not an idiot, or a special needs child! I mean, what's he ever done to you to deserve that sort of crap? It can't be the fact that Xander's finally proven to everyone how he doesn't need you around in order to survive, can it?" the redheaded Slayer demanded hotly.

"Hey! Knock it off already," Faith spoke up as Buffy looked upset and annoyed at the accusation. "Nobody here thinks my old boy toy is Special Ed nowadays, we're just worried about him constantly being MIA 'n all. Same as we would be for any other missing Scooby..." Miss Lehane instantly looked ill. "Errgh, I can't believe I actually just said that! Geez it..."

"Yep. Once a Scooby, always a Scooby. Even you, Faith," Willow said to her, a rare smirk appearing on her face.

"And yet, none of you people have even mentioned this Cordelia person's name ever since we left Earth," Belle finally spoke up. "Wasn't she also a member of your little group all those years ago?"

Faith just shrugged. "Not really, she was almost as much on the outs as I was. Only reason Queen C was ever tolerated was because she was X's honey, and once that went down the tubes..."

"Hey!!" both Buffy and Willow shouted, looking both annoyed and embarrassed for different reasons.

"Man, this entire conversation is completely stupid," Rona said to everyone, before she turned to Giles – who had wisely been staying well out of it in the background. "When's this guy gonna get here already?" the black Slayer asked.

"Um, we'd best get to the landing bay and find out, I-I-I suppose," Giles stammered, as the troop of women quickly filed out of the observation lounge and he followed them. Giles kept a careful eye on Buffy though, he knew she wasn't in the best of moods right now.

Vi had certainly had a point; Xander had been a sore topic with his surrogate daughter ever since last year, Rupert understood that. A part of Buffy's anger was due to her blaming Harris for the fact that (a) he wasn't safe on Earth living a normal life like she had always wanted him to have, he was off on the other side of the universe risking his neck in order to fight aliens; and (b) Angel, Spike and Andrew hadn't been let in on the big secret of the Stargate and Atlantis, thanks to his veto.

Giles knew how Buffyfirmly believed that SHE should have the final say in who was allowed to get what info, not Xander – who she considered was totally out of touch, all the wayin another galaxy. That was, unfortunately, part of why they had run into problems aboard the _Apollo_ during the trip from Earth. Miss Summers hadn't liked the attitude of the U.S. military, who had told the VIP contingent in no uncertain terms that specific areas of the ship were off-limits to them. Such as the bridge, the engineering section and the weapons lockers.

Being treated as an unwelcome interloper hadn't sat well with Buffy, even if Giles and the others could cope with Colonel Ellis's orders. After the past eleven years as the alpha Slayer, that was perfectly understandable of course; but it made Rupert worry about how Miss Summers apparently couldn't deal with not being in control of every situation she found herself in.

As they arrived in the F-302 bay, Rupert made a decision; as soon as they got back to Earth, he was going to have to have a chat with one or the other of Buffy's lovers. He had to get either Angel or Spike to convince Buffy that she couldn't always get her own way with everything, and that she had to learn how to play nice even with the people that she personally disliked or even outright despised.

"XANDER!" Vi shouted, and rushed over to hug him as soon as the jumper landed and the pilot came out. The other girls and Giles were not far behind, as a nostalgically pleasant reunion took place. Pretty soon it broke up though, as Xander herded everyone inside the puddle jumper and it took off for Atlantis.

All the visitors were astounded by the spectacular view of the planet and the city as they descended from space, something that they wouldn't have gotten just beaming down like Ellis had done. Faith in particular was very impressed as she whistled, "That thing must be the size of Manhattan! Damn, boy toy, but you really have done well for yourself..."

"Faith? Piece of advice, don't call me that again. Cordy hears you saying that, she might just decapitate you," Xander warned his first time. "And Jennifer and Lacy would hold you down while she did it."

"Things are serious between you guys, then?" Vi asked, as Faith just shook her head in amusement.

"Yeah. I mean, we do live together nowadays," Xander said noncommittally, as he concentrated on his flying.

That particular offhand comment was why Buffy and Willow quickly decided that they would have to have a serious talk with Cordelia Chase, as soon as possible.

--

**Atlantis Gym**

**A short while later**

The news had traveled throughout the city almost at light speed; that the _Apollo_ was present not only to deliver guests and supplies from Earth, it was also here to launch a pre-emptive first strike against the Asurans, who were preparing a HUGE fleet of ships on their home planet. Colonel Ellis had supplied proof of what the replicators had gotten up to, and what the IOA had decided to do in response; bombard that world with a set of six Mark IX tactical nukes housed in a custom-made weapons platform codenamed Horizon.

In the opinion of many it was going to be an ineffectual attack, given what the replicators were, but as Colonel Ellis had said the Asurans weren't building that many ships just to go after Atlantis – their target had to be Earth. So wiping out as much of the enemy as possible before Area 51's planet-wide anti-replicator weapons were ready to be deployed made sense, at least from a military point of view.

Ronon Dex didn't care much about all that though, at least not right now. He was looking forward to a sparring match with the Slayers, like he had done ever since he had learned of their existence. "Okay, who's up first?" the member of SGA-1 asked eagerly.

Kennedy made to step forward but Willow held her back, eyes narrowed. Something about this man – no, this ALIEN – reminded her of the Jaffa named Teal'c she had met back at Stargate Command in Colorado. So Miss Rosenberg thought it would be a good idea to see Ronon in action first, before he got the chance to beat up her girlfriend.

"I'll give you a ride, tiger," Faith winked naughtily at Dex as Willow communicated silently with Kennedy. She grabbed the Athosian fighting sticks and said, "So let's dance. No holds barred."

"Now you're talking!" But unfortunately for Faith, who had decided to hold back a little in order not to hurt this yummy-looking beefcake, Ronon started kicking her ass. The Satedan warrior showed no mercy and pulled no punches in the fight, even though he avoided going for any killing blows with his weapons.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Buffy yelled out as the brunette Slayer slammed into a wall. Ronon quickly helped a dazed Miss Lehane up as Miss Summers demanded, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"It's cool, B, I'm still five-by-five. And we're not done yet..." Faith shook her head in order to clear it, vowing not to underestimate this guy again.

"Yes you are. My turn," Buffy said simply, as she grabbed Faith's sticks off the floor and moved the center of the room.

Ronon could tell this had the potential to get real ugly, real fast. "No."

Buffy was instantly confused. "What?"

"I don't wanna fight you," Ronon told her simply. "Not yet, anyway – not until you've calmed down. One of us would get either crippled or dead, that's just the way I operate; and I don't want to have to explain myself to Harris why things got outta control that way with one of his girls."

"I'll try," Belle volunteered, taking the fighting sticks from Buffy – who was just staring at Ronon and wondering if he was serious. But the English Slayer fared no better than Faith, and neither did Kennedy or Rona.

Finally, Vi's turn came. Even before the fight started, Ronon knew that this one was different from the other Slayers before her; it was all in her stance, the way she held her weapons, even the way her eyes stared at him. Dex's worst fears were quickly realized as Vi started wiping the floor with him, her supernatural speed and co-ordination more than a match for his Satedan training.

"Enough. Enough!" the bearded man bellowed as he ended up against the wall, with one of Vi's sticks up against his throat. "I give. You're the better fighter, Slayer – for now, anyway. So where'd you learn all those decent moves?"

"Yeah. That's what I'd like to know," Buffy said, eyeing Violet in a whole new light.

"Before he left the Council, Xander taught me not to just rely on the Slayer essence for fighting instincts all the time," Vi said proudly, sweating from the recent rough and tumble exertion. "That's why I learned Eskrima recently. It's a martial art originating from the Philippine Islands...it relies on speed and practical techniques for using makeshift weapons to overcome the superior strength of an opponent."

"Huh," Ronon grunted, as the other Slayers just stared at Vi curiously. "Well, that sure sounds like Harris all right. And I hope you'll show me some pointers, before you leave Atlantis?"

"I'd love to," Vi smiled, holding no hard feelings towards her recent opponent.

"Cool! Tell you what, tiger," Faith looped her arm through Ronon's and started to steer him towards the door. "What say after you go take a shower, we have ourselves some lunch? Let me show you a thing or two about a real Slayer's appetite. You've probably heard some stuff from X and the cheerleader about just how hungry and horny we get after a good fight without a kill at the end, but trust me – seeing is believing with us Chosen types."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd buy that," Ronon smirked at her as he allowed Faith to lead him away.

"Hey, I thought Faith and Robin were still an item here?" Buffy hissed at Willow, as the brunette Slayer and the Satedan departed. She was referring to the Watcher that had been left in charge of the Council while the group was away in another galaxy. Well, to an extent anyway, as Dawn and Angel also had some input; even if Spike was now solely in charge of the Cleveland operation.

Willow smiled at Buffy's question, but only very slightly. "They are. But it's Faith we're talkin' about here, Buff. Sure, she's calmed down a lot since the old days, but there's still plenty of wild child left in her…"

--

**East Pier, Atlantis**

**Not long before sunset**

The mission was over and the _Apollo _had returned to Atlantis after bombing the Asuran ships with their nukes, having obliterated all of the primary enemy targets and most of the secondary ones too. But Willow Rosenberg knew or cared nothing about that; she just stood alone at the pier on the edge of the city, gazing out over the ocean.

The redhead looked so lost, and alone. Not even Kennedy had been able to cheer her up as they'd walked around the city, and finally the lesbian Slayer had stopped fighting that hopeless battle. The others were scattered all around Atlantis now; Giles was almost salivating over the Hologram Room, while the Chosen crowd were keeping themselves busy elsewhere. Some of them were in Xander and Cordelia's apartment, a penthouse within one of the smaller towers of the city; some of them were in the bowels of Atlantis, wandering around the Auxiliary Control Center. Some were in the ZPM Room, some were in the Chair Room.

Some of them were still in the mess hall, pigging out on all the delicious food around here...

Willow just continued to look out over the ocean. Everything that had happened lately was quite the eye-opener for her, at least to a certain extent. Because back before Sunnydale had gone the way of the dodo, she had stated quite vigorously and sympathetically that she understood how Xander felt, being the 'normal' member of the group. But now Willow just wanted to ask him, "How do you do this every day? How can you live like this all the time? How can you possibly go on always feeling so small, so weak, so helpless?"

Is the magic all I am nowadays? the beautiful young redhead asked herself despondently. Will Buffy gently ease me out of the Council now, even if my powers do come back? Will Kennedy still want to date me any longer, given how I'm not as powerful as I thought I was?

"Hey. Now what's a nice girl like you doin' all alone in a place like this?"

Willow turned around, a smile already forming on her lips as she hugged Xander tightly. The young woman was glad for the privacy factor as she said, "Oh, Xander, I've missed you so much..."

"Ditto," Harris replied truthfully, before breaking the hug.

Willow took a deep breath, her decision made. "Xander, I want-"

"No. I'm not going back to Earth with you guys – not even for you, Will," Xander shut her down at once, he'd known from Willow's expression exactly what she was going to say even before she said it. He could still read her like a book, even if she couldn't do that with him any longer; Harris had changed too much in the intervening years. "And don't even think of trying the Resolve Face, missy. You wore out that trick years ago."

Willow began to look annoyed. "Xander..."

"What?" Harris asked. "C'mon, are you telling me you wouldn't have tried it? I think we both know better. Look, Willow, I know this may be hard for you to accept, but Atlantis is my home now..."

"How can it be?" Willow demanded. "How can this, this 'place' possibly feel like home?"

Xander narrowed his eyes. "Wills, I'd like to ask you a question. Do you remember Ted, that evil machine-bot we ran into during junior year?"

"Yeah. 'Course I do," the young woman looked confused. "But, but what's that got to do with anything?"

Xander had a rather contemplative expression on his face. "I remember how back then, you made the sound of geeker joy just 'cause Robbie the Robot offered you some kinda computer upgrades. And yet here in Atlantis the computer facilities are light years beyond anything back on Earth, but you don't even care? Guess I never really realized 'til just now how the magic thing is all that interests you nowadays."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Willow exclaimed heatedly, even though she had been thinking practically the same thing mere moments ago.

"Isn't it?" Xander asked, not backing down at all – which surprised his former best friend a little. "Buffy's told me how you lost your mojo ever since you left Earth, and how you haven't stopped moping about it ever since. So if that's not something that indicates how you really feel about losing your powers, I don't know what is."

Willow threw her arms up in exasperation. "Xander, you don't understand-"

"So then explain it to me. Just like you did with all my subjects in high school," Harris said encouragingly.

The Rosenberg girl suddenly exploded. "This, this place is all WRONG, Xander! You can't feel it, I know, but I can. It's an alien planet, it's, it's...it's not Earth! And you can't understand the kind of connection I had to Gaia, I mean once it was severed – it, it was almost like someone ripping my heart out! You of all people should know the magic is part of who I am, ever since I almost destroyed the world that day, and without it...well, I'm simply not ME anymore! You're right, back in high school I would have been racing to explore this city top to bottom, but now I'm just hurting so badly..." She began to cry and Xander took her into a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Willow. Willow?" he asked carefully.

"What?" she asked through her sniffles, as Xander let her go.

"Cordelia once told me about a theory Wesley had," the former Scooby said, pausing as he briefly recalled that long-dead British Watcher. "And if Wes was right, maybe you can make a temporary connection that'll help you get through this."

"Xander, what are you talking about?" the redhead asked in confusion.

"There's life here. And lots of it," Xander gestured out over the ocean. "Both on the mainland not far away, and underwater. Especially these whales we've encountered more than once, well actually they're fish but since they look so much like..." He saw Willow's expression and hurriedly went on, "Anyway, um, uh, Cordy said that Wes believed magic originated at the same time that life arose on Earth, it was kind of a, a, a natural function of the planet. So shouldn't that mean there might be some kind of magic here too, just waiting to be used?"

"I don't know," Willow frowned, the thought had simply never occurred to her. "But even if it is, what makes you think that'll help me?"

"I don't know if it can help you," Harris admitted. "But we won't know for sure until you try to connect to it. So get in tune, Will. Do whatever it is you do – chant the chant, or mosey into the meditation mambo, or whatever. Try to make a connection with the Gaia of this world. I mean, at this point what have you got to lose?"

After all these years Xander had grown careless, having forgotten that magic and himself simply did not mesh well – especially when Willow Rosenberg was also present in the mix. That was why, perhaps unsurprisingly, things quickly went south in a rather spectacular fashion.

Later, Willow was able to haltingly explain to the others how the life force of Lantia had rejected her attempt to commune with it, much in the same way that the human body rejects the presence of an alien microbe with its immune system. Just as the sun vanished below the horizon, a bolt of lightning came hurtling down towards the pier and Miss Rosenberg; but instead of the witch it hit Colonel John Sheppard, who had shown up at the wrong place at the wrong time, and the man got electrocuted and thrown back against the wall.

"OH, SHIT!" Xander yelled, as he quickly summoned help from the infirmary and started doing CPR.

"What happened?" Dr. Keller asked as soon as she arrived with the medical team.

"He, he got hit by lightning," Willow stammered. "Uh, and Colonel Sheppard hit his head when he flew back that way..."

Keller examined her patient, waving Xander aside. "How do you feel?"

"Bit woozy," John admitted. Thanks to Xander he'd survived and been able to get back on his feet, but he was obviously not fully recovered.

"You might have a concussion. And God only knows what other damage there is," Keller decided. "Come on, Colonel, we're heading straight for the infirmary."

"Hey! I can walk by myself, so get your hands off me," Sheppard growled at the nursing staff, who had tried to manhandle him towards the transporters. Grumbling at how much his head was aching, John let the medical personnel escort him to the infirmary, as Willow and Xander followed them there as well.

--

**Not far from the Control Room, Atlantis**

**Five hours later**

There was almost no time to worry about what had happened to Sheppard, as what the _Apollo_ had done to the Asurans quickly came back to bite the inhabitants of Atlantis directly in the ass.

Giles, Buffy, Willow and the others came out of a meeting with Weir in the Conference Room, a formal talk where a free-ranging discussion had taken place on how to acquire Wraith subjects for testing against someone with Slayer abilities, when an alarm went off. "What is that?" Buffy demanded, looking around.

Xander came over to his boss, "Elizabeth? I think you're gonna wanna see this. We've got a contact, just came out of hyperspace..."

They all quickly went over to look at Hailey's computer screen. "Is it broadcasting IFF?" Weir asked.

"No, ma'am," Jennifer responded, frowning as she tried to get a better image of the intruder.

"Is it a, um, a Wraith vessel?" Giles asked carefully.

"Nah. It's way too small, so I really doubt it," Cordelia told him, looking at the screen.

Dr. Weir made a command decision, "Raise the shield."

The sound of the shield deploying could be heard as Lacy obeyed the order, then Xander suddenly grabbed Giles by the arm – he knew that such a tactic would be useless against Buffy or the other Slayers, and he couldn't bring himself to manhandle Willow like that – and he dragged the Watcher back to the Conference Room doors. He gambled that the Council crowd would follow them there, and he won.

"Xander, what do you think you're doing? Let Giles go, as in right now," Kennedy told the man in no uncertain terms.

Xander did so. "Okay, listen up. I need all of you to stay here for now, alright? Just keep quiet and don't distract anyone, it looks like we've got a bit of a situation here," Xander said grimly.

"Xander..." Buffy said in exasperation. But to her annoyance, Harris didn't even look at the blonde in question as he quickly ran back into the Control Room.

Faith went to follow him, obviously not liking being treated like this, but Willow grabbed hold of her and said, "Don't. Trust me, just don't. How would you like it if these people showed up and started demanding answers, right when we're in the middle of trying to close a Hellmouth?"

--

**Atlantis corridor, somewhere within the city**

**A while later**

The comparison between a Hellmouth erupting and the current situation was, as a matter of fact, rather an apt one.

A small satellite had dropped out of hyperspace and engaged a mini-Stargate, taking up orbit around the planet. It had then started sending a horrendously powerful laser beam down onto the shielded city, safe from any attack with its own personal shield. The _Apollo_ had been unable to damage it in any way, and even sinking Atlantis to the bottom of the ocean had only bought the expedition members a few extra hours before the shield collapsed and the replicators' weapon killed them all.

"I dunno about you guys, but I really don't like this place anymore," Rona said bitingly to the rest of the Council's people as they walked back to their temporary quarters.

"Eh, I don't know. Overwhelming odds, imminent death, nowhere to run...there's something very familiar about all this," Faith joked, trying to bolster everyone's spirits.

"I hate feeling so darn helpless," Buffy fumed. "I mean, give me a demon or a vampire to slay any day!"

"Well, be that as it may, we ARE guests here," Giles reminded her. "No doubt we'll be amongst the first they'll evacuate back to the _Apollo_, once the time comes."

"Xander will figure out something," Vi said firmly. "This is his turf, and he knows it best."

"I hope so," Kennedy, Willow and Belle all said in unison.

Not far away, Xander as well as Sheppard had sought out McKay and Zelenka, who were just staring aimlessly at their laptops. "What? Shouldn't you guys be bickering or something?" Harris knew full well how animated the rivalry between the two scientists could get, and Lacy had once joked that they should just start making out already and get it over with. Even if the looks both Xander and Cordelia had sent her back then, hadn't exactly been pleasant ones.

McKay shrugged in response to Xander's question, "Ah, we've got nothing left to bicker about. He's run out of bad ideas...finally."

Radek looked sulkily over to John, deciding to let the insult pass. "How are you feeling?"

"Still hurts like a mother, especially my head, but we don't have time for that now. Guys, come on! I mean, we have what? Less than a day to figure out how not to get destroyed by this satellite thing? You two are our big guns around here. You've got to be able to think of something!" John insisted, appealing to personal vanity now that there was nothing else left to appeal to.

Radek sank his face back into his hands, looking utterly defeated. "Colonel, every possible scenario ends in failure. There is simply nowhere on the face of this planet that that thing cannot kill us."

John and Rodney stared at each other, as in the space of a heartbeat they both got the same idea at the same time. "You don't think ...?" Sheppard said excitedly.

McKay thought about it then sadly shook his head. "No. It's impossible."

"Why? We're still too banged up?" the military officer demanded.

"No. No, the replicators fixed all the damage we did with the drones all those months ago. We just don't have the power," McKay looked momentarily exasperated.

Zelenka obviously had no idea what these two were going on about. "What are they talking about?"

"Don't look at me," Xander shrugged, both the Czech and the American looking equally lost.

John looked at Rodney again. "Hey, what about the drilling platform? You guys have it operational down there, right?"

The scientist nodded, thinking about the Ancient geothermal energy station that had been reactivated recently. "Close enough, but we couldn't bring it with us."

"Bring it where?" Radek still looked lost and confused.

Sheppard shook his head. "We don't need to bring it with us. We just need the boost it can provide to the ZPM!"

McKay nodded slowly. "Yeah. Y'know, you might actually be onto something here..." 

They both turned and ran out of the lab. Xander and Radek jumped up and hurried after them, "Hey! Hey! What are you two guys talking about?" Harris called out, but to no avail.

--

**Atlantis balcony, not far from the Gate Room**

**A while later**

Teyla was talking to Giles and Ronon was talking to Vi, while the rest of the Council contingent was talking amongst themselves. "Guess this little visit isn't turning out exactly how you people expected, huh?" the former Runner asked his companion.

Vi shrugged, recalling everything that had happened ever since Sunnydale had become a giant crater four years ago. "Well, actually, now that you mention it..."

Dex went on, "I need to learn some science."

"What? Why?" asked the Slayer.

"I'm just not all that useful in situations like these," Ronon confessed. "If we get into a fight, or we need to break out of somewhere, or you know, kill somebody, then I'm your man; but a laser attacking the city's shield – I don't know where to chip in."

The Slayer couldn't help it, she giggled like a schoolgirl. "Y'know, I WISH I could persuade you to come back to Earth with us once all this is over. You'd fit in real well with our little group," Vi smiled at the Satedan.

Ronon half-sighed, half-grunted. "I can't. Not until every single Wraith in this galaxy is dead."

"I know. So, do you think I could take one? Honestly," Violet wanted to know.

Ronon hesitated, but before he could reply Dr. Weir's voice came over the PA system. "May I have your attention? As you all know, we have found ourselves in a spot of trouble. And the reality is that no matter where we try to hide on this planet, the replicator satellite will be able to track us. Fortunately, Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard have come up with a rather ingenious way for us to escape the satellite's range altogether. In the next few hours, we will fire up the city's star drive and head into space. Atlantis is leaving this planet."

The group gathered on the balcony all stared at one another in astonishment before Buffy said, "I just BET you that this was all Xander's idea, somehow!"

--

**Atlantis corridor, not far from the Chair Room**

**A few minutes later**

"You want me to do WHAT?!"

Xander, John, and Rodney winced at the shrill note of Cordelia's voice. Then Harris said, "Look, Cordy, I need for you to do this, okay? Jenny's flying her F-302 in Major Lorne's squadron to shove that asteroid in front of the satellite, and Lacy's helping Radek calibrate the city's systems for our little journey to M12-578. You're the only one who'll be able to keep our old Sunnydale pals in line on the _Apollo_, so that Colonel Ellis doesn't just throw 'em all into the brig..."

"And Lord knows we wouldn't want that," McKay mumbled under his breath as they walked along.

"I don't need to be protected, Xander. I thought we settled this a long time ago," Cordelia had raging storm clouds in her eyes.

"We did. And hey, if I thought you needed protecting, then I'd have asked Elizabeth to transfer you off my team years ago," Harris said sternly as they all came to a halt. "Please don't make me pull rank and order you to do this, sweetheart. Because we're in a big hurry here, and your 'no sex for a month' thing isn't gonna work this time."

Rodney looked ill even as Cordelia huffed, "Fine!" She kissed Xander goodbye with all the passion she could muster before the woman activated her headset, "Cordelia Chase ready to beam up!" She then vanished in a burst of white light.

Sheppard stared at Xander. "I honestly don't know how you cope with such a high-maintenance girlfriend."

Xander shrugged, with a slight smile visible as the three men started walking again. "Years of practice, and for a long time having to deal with women who could break me in half with their little pinkie."

McKay simply shook his head and got back into character. "Anyway, Zelenka is doing a final pass over all the coding we've done, but so far it's looking good. The underwater drilling platform's power output has been dialed up as high as it'll go, and the crew down there have been beamed up to the _Apollo_. Now, if we can just interrupt the satellite's beam – which is greatly taxing our power levels, by the way – then we should be able to squeeze out just enough energy from both the platform and the ZedPM to actually pull this off."

They finally arrived at the Chair Room. "How's Major Lorne and his people doing up there?" Xander asked, concerned about his second-in-command.

McKay grabbed a hand-held Ancient device from a technician and anxiously examined it. "Uh, they're making good time. Twenty minutes or so, then they should be done."

Just then, Dr. Keller came in. "What are you doing here?" Sheppard asked at once.

"What am _I_ doing here? What are YOU doing here?" the doctor demanded heatedly. "You should be in sickbay, Colonel! You have a concussion, for crying out loud, technically you're not even fit for active duty!"

"I'm fine. And I've got a city to fly if we're gonna get out of here alive," John attempted to brush Keller's protests aside.

"YOU'RE gonna fly this city? I don't think so," the woman declared. "I mean if I'm right, you won't even be able to activate the chair properly. Go on, give it a try."

Sheppard stared at Dr. Keller, and quickly sat down. Unfortunately though, the chair refused to light up the way it usually did when someone with the ATA (Ancient Technology Activation) gene sat down in it.

"What's wrong? Why isn't it working?" Xander demanded.

"I was afraid of this. You're not fit to fly a kite, let alone Atlantis," Keller said to John. "Your mind is still scrambled from being electrocuted like that, enough so that you can't pull this off. Can you?"

"Yes I can!" Sheppard snapped at her.

"But what if you can't?" McKay demanded. "Look, we're only gonna get one shot at this. Can you guarantee me that you'll get this city up in the air, or not?"

"Yes. I guarantee it," Sheppard said shortly.

"Oh, God help us," McKay eventually moaned, as the chair still refused to light up after many minutes of effort on Sheppard's behalf. "All right, that's it. It's patently obvious you can't focus enough to do the job, so get up! We're almost out of time here, someone else is gonna have to do the whole flying thing!"

"Like who?" Sheppard growled, yet not fighting Keller as she dragged him out of the chair.

"I'll do it," Xander said simply as everyone stared at him. "I've been practicing with the chair lately, and I figured that it might come to this – I mean, I saw for myself just how badly that lightning affected you, Colonel."

"Fine," John tried not to sound petulant as he made way for Xander to be his backup replacement. The man had saved his life recently, after all.

"Right." Harris took a deep breath and exhaled, staring at the control chair. This was the moment of truth, and so now he was a bit nervous.

"Uh, you're sure you can do this?" Rodney asked, seeing his hesitation.

"Hey, these days I can fly a puddle jumper practically in my sleep. So how hard could it actually be?" Xander joked.

McKay briefly closed his eyes in pain, as Harris sat down in the chair and it instantly lit up in response to his ATA gene. "We're all gonna die, aren't we?" the Canadian asked rhetorically.

--

**Atlantis Control Room**

**Fifteen minutes later**

McKay had returned to his usual science station, with Radek and Lacy monitoring things in the ZPM Room. Rodney said into his radio, "Lorne, you in position?"

/We're getting close. You guys about ready?/ the F-302 pilot's voice asked.

"Stand by. Zelenka, I need a 'go' or 'no go'," McKay quickly switched channels.

/We're go here. All non-essential systems have been shut down. We're in the green/ the Czech scientist replied, nodding at the British woman assisting him.

"Are you ready, Harris?" McKay asked on a new channel.

/Ready as I'll ever be/ Xander radioed back.

/And don't worry, I'll be keeping a close eye on him/ Sheppard also reported from the Chair Room.

McKay then said to Major Lorne, "Okay, we're ready down here. Just make sure she's moving as slow as possible, in order to maximize our time to get off this planet."

/Copy that/ Lorne replied, as high above the planetary surface the asteroid moved towards the beam emanating from the satellite. All the F-302s released their grapples and lifted off the big rock, heading back towards outer space.

/Package is away and on course. We're heading back to the _Apollo_. Good luck/ the major signed off as Lieutenant Hailey and the other pilots got into formation behind him.

Back in the Control Room, Rodney glanced at Elizabeth, who nodded encouragingly. She knew this operation was pretty much his show, their best possible chance of survival depended on this amazingly egocentric scientist pulling off his usual last-minute miracle. The physicist checked his console and said, "Okay, that's it. We're good. Uh, here goes nothing..."

He activated the controls. Underneath the city the failsafe mechanism fired up as Atlantis began to rise from the bottom of the sea, heading towards the surface and the satellite's deadly beam.

In the Chair Room, the control chair rotated slowly as Xander reclined within it. The young man told himself not to panic, as soon as the city cleared the water all he had to do was think "fly" and give the city its heading.

"You feeling okay?" Sheppard asked, still wishing with all his heart that he was the one sitting in the chair. He had trained Xander personally as a pilot, and he knew the kid was pretty good; but this was almost like asking a complete rookie to go up to bat at the bottom of the ninth, with Nolan Ryan ready to pitch his deadly fastball.

"I'm fine," Harris responded simply, before he closed his eyes in concentration.

Above the planet, the asteroid finally intersected the laser beam of the replicator satellite, breaking its contact with the city below. The beam immediately started to bore deeply into the rock, breaking large chunks of it off. And even though it was just a machine, if anyone from Atlantis had been there to see it...they would have sworn that the creation of the Asurans was ANGRY at being frustrated in its task of destroying the final citadel of the Ancients.

Down below, the surface of the water became extremely agitated as the city continued to rise up from the depths. The top of the shield finally broke the surface, and then the central tower rose up into the daylight – exactly as it had done three years ago, when the expedition had first arrived from Earth.

"We're on the surface. Activate the star drive," McKay called out, as everyone in the Control Room waited in anticipation.

In the Chair Room, Xander concentrated; and then suddenly, something totally unexpected happened.

The control chair interfaced his mind directly with the city's systems. The sensor arrays became Xander's eyes and ears, and the star drive became like a deep fire in his belly; it was like being in the presence of a cosmic dragon, with the entire universe alive with primal energy.

Xander Harris could literally feel the city trying to break free of the firm grasp of Lantia's gravity. The ocean boiled and steam rose up from the surface, as Atlantis struggled to rise up towards the stars. Suddenly Xander's eyes snapped open as he lifted his head and the man said over his headset radio, "It's not working!"

/What? Why? What are you doing wrong?/ McKay demanded back.

"Nothing, McKay. We just don't have enough power!" Harris told him in annoyance.

"Damn it," Sheppard cursed, he'd been afraid of that.

/I'm giving you everything we've got!/ the Canadian said in acute frustration. /What, that's still not enough for you?/

Xander submerged himself back into the virtual world of being part of the city, trying to figure out a solution, just as Sheppard made a snap decision. "Shut off the shield!" he commanded.

/Are you crazy?!/ Rodney screamed at him. / We're about to go into space! If you plan on breathing after the next few minutes, we're gonna need the city's shield in place!/

"So turn it off 'til we're about to go stratospheric, and oxygen actually becomes an issue!!" Xander screamed back, briefly surfacing. "Right now I need more power, and that means shutting down ALL non-essentials!"

McKay said something, several somethings in fact, and Sheppard replied, but Xander didn't hear either of them. Once again an organic extension of the city-ship, he could instantly tell when there was enough power for the star drive to finally shift into gear; and so, the former sci-fi geek immediately gave it everything he had.

--

**Atlantis Control Room**

**The same time**

"That's it! We're flying!" McKay exclaimed as Atlantis continued to ascend upwards towards the heavens, its shield deactivated. "I'll be damned, Harris actually did it!"

I knew he'd do it, Elizabeth Weir thought to herself fondly, as she walked over to the rear window at the top of the stairs and looked out in sudden awe. Oh my. It's amazing...

Suddenly an alarm sounded, and Rodney swung into action. "That's it, time's up. We're at eighteen thousand feet, I'm raising the shield..."

But then, Fate decided that the good guys were not going to get off the hook quite that easily.

The satellite's laser weapon found a weak spot in the asteroid, and managed to push its way through to the flying city while its shield had not yet fully extended. The beam headed towards the central tower, and then blasted its way through the window; smashing the glass and sending Elizabeth Weir flying away backwards.

Glass rained down on everyone as Elizabeth crashed to the floor, down in the Gate Room. The shield then finally raised itself all the way around Atlantis, but too late; the damage had already been done, and there was no way to undo it.

Just as Harris took the city into hyperspace and Atlantis vanished from Lantia's gravity well, the system abruptly crashed and the chair deactivated itself, returning Xander to normal human perception. "What the hell was that?" the young man asked himself in confusion.

"McKay? Elizabeth?" John said immediately into his radio.

/I need a medical team to the Control Room, stat! Multiple injuries!/ McKay's voice said over the airwaves.

Xander said nothing as Sheppard helped him up, and the two men started running for the Control Room. When they got there, the true horror of the situation finally hit home.

The medics were treating all the injured they could find; others were putting out a number of fires that had erupted after several consoles had exploded, thanks to the laser beam's actions. As Sheppard found Teyla and Ronon, Xander similarly zeroed in on Lacy, who had arrived a few moments earlier. "What happened?"

"From what I heard, apparently the beam grazed the tower before the shield was fully extended, sir," Lieutenant Pinder told her commanding officer.

"Alright, uh, help the others however you can, I gotta go talk to McKay..." Xander hurried off as Lacy began to assist Dr. Keller with Dr. Weir, the leader of the expedition being very badly injured. As Harris found the scientist he said, "Hey, are you all right?"

The man had several cuts on his face from the flying glass, but the wounds looked fairly superficial. "I'll be fine. And before you ask, the damage to Atlantis is minimal – I think. I was able to get the shield up fairly quickly, it took the brunt of the beam..."

Just then, an alarm sounded. "Oh, what now?" Rodney groaned.

Xander suddenly got a bad feeling about this as Teyla and Sheppard joined them. The Athosian woman asked, "What is happening?"

There was a sudden deceleration as the city exited hyperspace and re-entered normal space. "Oh, crap, tell me that's not what I think it is?" Xander asked fearfully, looking towards the shattered window.

"Yeah, no can do. We just dropped out of hyperspace," John groaned. 

Teyla asked hesitantly, "Have we already reached M12-578?" 

"No. There's no way. It should have taken at least another two hours," Rodney said as he checked one of the few working consoles. "I don't get it. The hyperdrive just shut itself down..." 

"I think we're in trouble," Xander said hopelessly.

"Where are we?" asked Teyla.

"In the middle of nowhere," McKay replied with a rather desperate look on his face. "Uh, bottom line, we're lost. We dropped out of hyperspace WAY too soon, and right now I have absolutely NO idea where we are."

"Well, that's just great," Sheppard grimaced at the bad news.

And as soon as Xander learned that they only had about twenty-four hours worth of power left before the shield failed and everyone asphyxiated in the depths of outer space, he knew it was definitely time to start panicking.

--

**The **_**Apollo**_**, in orbit around M12-578**

**A little over two hours later**

"I don't like this, Cordelia," Lieutenant Hailey looked rather nervous.

"Neither do I," Miss Chase looked equally concerned. "Where the hell are they?"

"Well, Atlantis isn't all that late, is it? Maybe they just..." Willow trailed off.

"Willow, traveling in hyperspace isn't the same thing as just driving to the local Starbuck's for a cup of coffee," Cordelia told her bluntly. "You don't get distracted by the scenery, or get delayed by traffic. If they're late, that means something's gone wrong; I'll bet my bottom Prada on it."

"I'm going to go talk to Colonel Ellis," Jennifer decided, as she headed for the doors to the observation lounge. "I should be back soon."

"Right. See you then," Cordy acknowledged her before the military officer left the room.

"Y'know, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be okay," Buffy said hesitantly. "I mean, back in the old days Xander did a lot of stupid things trying to help out with the Slayage, but somehow he always managed to..." the blonde Slayer trailed off as she saw the former seer staring at her. "What?"

Cordy just shook her head. "And you still wonder why Xander left you and the Council all those years ago," she said sarcastically.

Willow looked around, glad that the rest of their little group wasn't present right now to witness this long-overdue conversation. "He's not safe doing what he's doing these days, you know. And we have every right to worry about Xander's safety..."

"But you don't have the right to try to force him into doing what YOU want, instead of what HE wants to do with his life," the brunette shot back. "Let me guess. One or maybe even both of you have tried to convince Xander to go back to Earth by now, right?"

"So what if we did?" Buffy asked in annoyance, even as Willow looked aside at that comment.

"You're eventually going to lose him completely doing stuff like that," Cordelia's voice was harsh and rough. "Believe me, I know. And don't you tell me that it's never going to happen. I not only work with the man every day, I also share his bed at nights – so I could tell you exactly how often he even bothers to mention your names nowadays."

That one caused a bolt of pain to lance through Buffy and Willow's hearts as Cordelia went on, "And besides, even if you did drag him back to Earth just how long do you think he'd stay there? Last year, when we lived in Colorado for about six weeks, Xander practically hated just about every moment of it – and hell, so did I. About the only thing that made it tolerable for the both of us was the constant sex," Cordelia smirked at their expressions.

"So, um, just how good is he? I mean, I left Boys Town a long time ago, but I haven't exactly lived like a nun or anything," Willow finally worked up the nerve to say as Buffy just stared at her. "Plus, y'know, I DID sleep with Oz for a while..."

"With Xander, there's no comparison I'm sure. That Anya person must have taught him a heckuva lot," the Chase woman shook her head.

"So you're sure that he's not just using you as a substitute for her, or whatever?" Buffy asked uncomfortably. The former demoness had gotten killed following her plan back then, after all.

"You mean the way you used that guy as a substitute for Angel, Ri-something, all those years ago?" Cordelia asked cattily as Buffy's face went an interesting shade of purple. "But no. He loves me as much as I love him, and even though you guys will probably hate the idea, I've decided that I'm gonna marry Xander one day. Not to mention become the mother of his children. Which, after everything that bitch Jasmine did to me, is something that I'm willing to do ONLY for that big dorkhead," she finished up, her expression bleak and unpleasant.

"You still remember all of that?" Willow asked. It was a question she had never brought up before, even during the conversations they'd had in Colorado Springs last year.

"Of course," Cordelia replied. "Just like you remember flaying that guy Warren alive and then trying to burn the Earth into a cinder, I'm sure. It's just something that I've got to live with," she shrugged. "At least until the day comes when Xander and I are on our deathbed surrounded by fat grandchildren, and then we can finally ascend without any regrets or second thoughts."

"Oh, wow," Willow said simply in amazement.

"So what was that place like?" Buffy asked quietly. She knew now about that part of it, or at least the gist if not the fine details, and had often wondered if the ascended realm was anything like the heavenly dimension her friends had pulled her soul out of six years ago.

"What does it really matter?" Cordelia shrugged, not wanting to talk about that part of her existence. "Y'know, when I think of all the years that Xander and I wasted...if only I had hit him over the head that summer, tied him up, dumped him into the back of his car and then driven it to Los Angeles. We might have gotten married and had two or three children by now," she suddenly smirked before sobering up. "But all that's nothing but a fantasy, I guess. We'd have never lasted back then; I'm sure that evil son of a bitch Skip would have seen to it somehow," Cordelia finished up venomously.

"Look, I just wanna know one thing. How's Xander doing these days? Really," Buffy asked, wanting to change the subject. "I mean, is he..."

"He's fine," Cordelia said dismissively. "Because he's finally found his place in life, Buffy. Xander and I, we've both found a place we're happy to call home – and basically, so what if it isn't on Earth?"

--

**Atlantis Jumper Bay**

**A while later**

As Xander listened to Colonel Sheppard conducting the briefing, he wondered just what the odds were that his city could survive this latest deadly obstacle to hit their path.

McKay had quickly figured out where they were in space, so at least they weren't lost anymore. The scientist had also figured out why the hyperdrive had gone off-line; apparently the laser beam had damaged some power conduits, so they were hemorrhaging power all over the place and the city's automatic systems had cut in before the shield failed and killed everyone within the environment of hyperspace.

On the plus side, Xander knew that Zelenka and his team should have the power conduits repaired within forty-five minutes or so. But the bad news was, Atlantis was about to skim the edge of an asteroid field without sublight engines or navigation control. And so repairing the hyperdrive system wasn't actually going to accomplish much if the city got torn apart by all the huge rocks out there, thanks to its depleted shield strength.

"...which means we can't raise the shield because we don't have enough power," Sheppard explained to everyone in the jumper bay. "If we don't clear a path for the city, it'll get ripped apart. So we're gonna take every last jumper we have, and we're gonna clear a path through the asteroid belt by firing our drones at anything that gets in our way."

The reluctant pilots, anyone who had the ATA gene and who could theoretically fly a puddle jumper, looked at each other nervously. One of them, a medic, raised his hand and said, "Uh, 'scuse me. I've only ever flown a jumper twice and I've never actually fired a live drone, so..."

"You've done it in simulations, right?" Sheppard quickly interrupted him.

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Basically the same thing. Look, I know it's dangerous. And I know most of you haven't logged a lot of hours in these things, but right now it's the only viable option we have. Or else, um..." John trailed off

"We die," McKay said mournfully.

"Right. So let's get moving," the USAF colonel brought the briefing to an end and headed to his jumper, as the rest of his fifteen-man squadron did likewise. All, that is, except Xander.

"Hey. You sure you're up to this?" Harris asked the leader of SGA-1. "'Cause we can't afford to lose you, you know. Not with Elizabeth..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. The woman was in bad shape, and if she ever woke up Weir was almost certainly going to be brain-damaged for the rest of her life.

"I'll be fine, Harris," Sheppard grunted, knowing what Xander didn't want to say. "Besides, you and I are the only real pilots we've got around here at the moment, apart from McKay maybe. And if we don't actually pull this off, what does a concussion really matter anymore?"

--

**Midway Station, in between the Pegasus and Milky Way galaxies**

**A while later**

While the gallant men and women of Atlantis were doing their best to save their city from destruction, Colonel Samantha Carter was having a conversation with her one-time protégé, Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey. The _Apollo_ had jumped to the nearest Stargate, since M12-578 didn't have one, and the two brilliant blonde women were brain-storming via the wormhole connection about what could have gone wrong with the escape plan.

/I've been trying to work out a way to contact Atlantis/ Xander's second-in-command said to Carter over the communications channel. /But so far, I haven't had much luck. It's possible the city could have veered off-course somehow.../

"Or else they dropped out of hyperspace too soon," Sam interrupted. "The city was flying with only one ZPM – maybe McKay underestimated the power requirements."

/Maybe/ Hailey conceded. /Either way though, it doesn't help us figure out where they might be right now. If they were anywhere near a Stargate.../

"...then they would have contacted us already. Yeah, wherever they are, they're still off the grid," Carter sighed. "You know, if they really did fall out of hyperspace early then the easiest thing to do is to fly back over the path between M12-578 and Lantia."

Hailey frowned. /Well, that would take over a million years. That's why we actually use hyperspace in the first place, Colonel./

"If you use the _Apollo_'s long-range sensors..." Carter mused.

Jennifer shook her head. /No, that's not an option. The long-range sensors – they don't work in hyperspace./

"I know that," Carter replied. "But maybe you could make a little jump, look around, make another little jump, look around, until you find them."

/It would take...at least a couple of years to cover all the ground between Lantia and M12-578 that way/ Hailey objected, after doing the math in her head. /We're talking about hundreds of thousands of so-called little jumps!/

The older blonde disagreed, "Unless someone seriously augments the long-range sensors aboard the ship."

/I can try, Colonel. But even so, it's not like we have an Asgard on board to do the hard part for us, not after they all committed suicide recently/ Jennifer shrugged.

Carter smiled at her former student. "You know, I suddenly feel like taking a little trip to the Pegasus galaxy..."

--

**Atlantis Control Room**

**A few hours later**

The good news was, the plan to save the city with the jumper pilots playing "Asteroids" had worked. The bad news was that by the time Zelenka and his people had finished the repairs, the power levels had dropped so low there wasn't enough juice left to engage the hyperdrive any longer.

And there was even more good news and bad news. Elizabeth Weir had woken up, fully healed; but that was due to the fact that in order to save her life, McKay had safely reactivated the replicator nanites Weir had been infected with during the previous year. Sheppard had been furious with Rodney about it, and ordered Xander to keep a close eye on the expedition leader; the USAF officer had also ordered Harris to use an EMP generator to inactivate the nanites the moment it even looked like they were going to take over Weir, or get in touch with the rest of the replicators.

Even though that would instantly kill the brunette woman they both owed their loyalty to.

"Alright. Where do we stand?" Sheppard demanded brusquely, trying not to glare in McKay's direction.

Zelenka said, "Well, we can pretty much forget about sub-space communications. The main control array was almost completely destroyed by the beam. I do, however, have another idea."

"Let's hear it," John commanded.

"Well, the reason why we can't use the power we have left to execute a short jump into hyperspace is that the city will not let us. It's a safety protocol, but I might be able to bypass it," Radek said hopefully.

McKay said without looking up from his console, "He's conveniently leaving out the reason why that safety protocol is there in the first place."

Radek admitted, "Yes, well, with insufficient power there is a chance that the city would be ripped apart as we try to enter the hyperspace window."

John didn't like the sound of this at all. "What kind of 'chance' are we talking about?"

Zelenka grimaced, "Fifty-fifty."

"Hmm! Well, I gotta tell you, Radek, I'm not exactly loving that idea," Sheppard grimaced right back at him.

The sound of repeatedly clicking fingers was a sure indication of how Rodney McKay had just had another brainwave. He stood up and walked over to his colleagues, still clicking his fingers, "Experimental jumper. Remember when I was zapped by that machine a few months ago and I got, well, even smarter than I normally am?"

Sheppard didn't relish those memories. "The one that almost killed you? Yeah."

McKay quickly outlined his idea of giving the experimental puddle jumper a functional hyperdrive, or at least one that could make maybe two trips before it burned out completely. "I was very close to getting it finished back then, I know I was. But even if I can get it to work..."

Sheppard arched up his brow. "We'll just make a quick two-way trip somewhere, come back with enough power to make planetfall with the city somehow?"

Rodney turned and looked at a number of Stargate addresses displayed on a wall map. He said thoughtfully, "Yes. So ideally, we should go someplace with a few ZedPM's to spare."

John said sarcastically, "Well, that'd be great. Know anywhere like that off-hand?"

Zelenka was gazing at the map, having figured out what McKay had been thinking just now. "M7R-227."

Sheppard glanced at him in confusion. "What's that?"

"Uh..." the Czech scientist didn't seem to want to explain himself.

Exasperated, Sheppard turned to Rodney despite how annoyed he was with the Canadian right now. "Are you tellin' me there's a planet out there with ZPMs, within two thousand light years of our current location?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," McKay confessed, turning to face the team leader at last.

"And what planet would that be, exactly?" John demanded.

McKay pointed at the map. "M7R-227, the replicator homeworld. Otherwise known as Asuras." Off Sheppard's look he added, "You feel up to pulling a little heist?"

--

**A planet in the Pegasus galaxy**

**A few hours later**

The Stargate activated itself, and out walked Cordelia and Jennifer. A few moments later, the Slayage crowd walked out too. "I am never gonna get used to that," Willow looked like she wanted to heave, feeling a little Gate-sick.

The group had been on a search and exploration mission for a while now, and had finally arrived at this world to rendezvous with the ship. Because the Stargate network allowed one to travel faster than the hyperdrive, at least until Colonel Carter succeeded in beefing up the long-range sensors; which, hopefully, had been done by now.

"You were the one who wanted us to come along," Faith shrugged in response to Willow's comment. She looked around and saw that they were within a clearing in the forest, with tall trees nearby. "Huh. Almost looks like something out of 'Lord of the Rings'..."

"Faith, please. I-I used to read Tolkien's books religiously in my younger days, so please do not insult his memory by comparing this place to a-any of those, those trashy popular entertainment movies," Giles sniffed disdainfully.

"Giles, you never cease to amaze me," Buffy stared at her stuffy and beloved Watcher in amusement.

Looking around one more time, Hailey activated her headset. "This is Lieutenant Hailey calling the _Apollo_. Colonel Ellis, do you read?"

/ Five by five, Lieutenant/ the man's voice said back over the public channel, causing Faith to scowl before breaking out into a reluctant grin.

"Any sign of Atlantis, sir?" Jenny asked.

/None at all/ the black man replied.

"Understood. We're ready for transport," Jennifer reported.

/Stand by./

"Better luck with the hyperdrive, I hope," Cordelia grumbled to herself, as the Asgard transporter beam whisked them all away.

--

**Planet M7R-277, a.k.a. Asuras**

**The same time**

The 'heist', as McKay had called it, hadn't exactly gone to plan.

Granted, with Elizabeth's help the Atlantis strike team had managed to get to the replicator homeworld and procure a zero point module power source. Rodney had managed to reprogram the nanites within Weir to remotely hack into the replicator collective, and so they had managed to sneak in and the gang had been ready to flee with their prize...

But then McKay had discovered the Holy Grail with regard to this flawed creation of the Ancients; the deactivated Wraith attack code, buried within millions of the replicators' command codes. He had told everyone that if they could upload the reactivated attack code he had quickly designed into the replicator mainframe data core, it would force the space Lego to resume the function for which they had been designed; the complete and utter extermination of the Wraith.

The team had decided to go for it, since Weir knew that she would never be able to get this sort of unrestricted access again once the stolen ZPM was discovered. But like all best laid plans o' mice and men, everything had just about gone to hell after the replicators had discovered what the humans were up to.

Sheppard saw the Atlantis commander locked in a mental struggle with one of the replicators, "Elizabeth?"

"Get to the jumper," she ordered him. She knew that Sheppard wouldn't be here if the team hadn't accomplished the mission as best they could, without McKay on-site. "I can't keep them frozen much longer!"

"We're not leaving you behind!" Harris shouted fiercely.

"Xander, if you don't leave right now, then none of us will get out of here, so go..." She turned her head slightly towards John. "THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Just then Elizabeth's concentration slipped, and the replicators started moving again. "No!"

Ronon knew when the jig was up. "Come on!" he started dragging a protesting Xander away.

Sheppard cried out in anguish, "ELIZABETH!"

"GO!" Weir shouted simply.

John's last glimpse of his C.O. was Elizabeth's frantic face, as the remorseless human-looking machines grabbed her arms and started dragging her away.

--

**Local space above the skies of planet M35-117**

**The next day**

The strike team had managed to get away safely from the Asurans, when at the last moment the _Apollo _showed up and rescued their puddle jumper; thanks to Samantha Carter and her partner-in-crime, Jennifer Hailey. The search pattern had struck solid gold, at PRECISELY the right instant. There had been an incredibly happy reunion aboard the X-304 vessel, before everyone had returned to Atlantis. With a fully charged ZPM, the survivors had then begun to head for a new home.

One that Elizabeth had known nothing about, and so the replicators wouldn't find them by probing and raping her mind that way.

"We're coming in fast," Cordelia said, as the city-ship exited the hyperspace window and headed for the planet.

"Too fast," Xander nodded. Sheppard had recovered enough to use the control chair by now, and so he was the one flying Atlantis this time. "You gotta ease up on the entry angle, Colonel!" he said into his headset.

/You wanna drive this thing, Harris?/ Sheppard's voice sounded rather annoyed.

"Well, he didn't do too badly the last time," Lacy Pinder muttered to herself, the Englishwoman feeling a little queasy over the rate of Atlantis's descent.

"Is this planet even actually a safe haven for us?" Jennifer asked her, sotto voce.

"It's got a breathable atmosphere, and a pretty big ocean. Besides that venomous snake-like thing on the mainland, the survey said it's a pretty nice place – all things considered," Pinder replied, as the Control Room started to shake and vibrate from the stress on the shield. "So I'm thinking what with the replicators and the Wraith out there looking for us, right now it's as good a place as any..."

"Everybody, hang on tight!" McKay cried out, as their speed seemed to increase and the bottom part of the shielded city burned with a fiery glow thanks to the atmospheric friction. "We're coming in over the ocean-!"

The city came down, down at what seemed too steep an angle to survive, and yet somehow it did so. Atlantis splashed down onto the surface of the ocean, and eventually skidded to a halt. Finally it rocked gently on the surface of the water, a small tidal wave heading off in all directions from the impact of the landing.

"How are we doing?" Samantha Carter called out, having decided to stay here instead of the _Apollo_ in case her expertise was needed during the expedition's arrival.

"Uh, okay I think," Hailey said a little uncertainly.

"Yeah, all systems are looking good...so far. Plenty of power in the ZedPM," McKay reported.

"All right. Then lower the shield," Carter ordered, and instantly her command was obeyed.

After roughly five to ten million years, Atlantis had finally found a new home.

--

**Atlantis Control Room, New Lantia**

**A few hours later**

The _Apollo_ had discharged its VIP contingent yet again, after things had settled down a bit. Buffy, Willow, Faith, Giles, Kennedy, Vi, Rona and Belle were all glad to be off the relatively cramped ship and within the spacious city once more. Better this place with its fresh air and a decent view of the ocean, even if it wasn't the same ocean they had been floating on less than two days before.

Buffy and Willow had cornered Xander, and knowing it was something important from the looks on their faces the young man said, "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about why you told those IOA people not to let Spike, Angel and Andrew in on the big secret," Buffy finally confessed. "I don't want for us to fight about this, Xander, please – but still, I want to know why. I mean, I've tried to figure it out-"

"But the only explanation you can come up with has me looking extremely...petty," Xander said cynically. Then he exhaled, "All right. If I really have to explain myself, then here it is. Spike? He simply doesn't need to know. And what with the way he likes to brag about everything in public, it's simply too great a security risk for him to be told the truth. Andrew? Oh, come on! If that nerd could ever possibly be trusted to take all this seriously, then I'm the Queen of England. And as for Angel..."

"What about him?" Willow piped up.

Xander narrowed his eyes. "Besides the fact that a lot of people hate his guts these days? You two can't tell me that he wouldn't come to my city and start hassling Cordelia to go back to Earth with him. To be perfectly honest, nobody wants or needs that sort of crap around here. And knowing you, Buff, if you decide to tell Deadboy anyway and then he shows up in Atlantis? Make sure your ex-bloodsucking honey also knows that I'll send him back through the Gate after we finally settle things between us, mano á mano," Harris promised Miss Summers, who got a chill from the cold expression on the young man's face. "And I can't promise you how many pieces that guy will be in once we're done, either."

Ignorant of all this, Rodney was at his console and dialed Earth as both Carter and Sheppard watched him do it. "Alright, here we go..."

The Stargate ka-wooshed after the eighth chevron was locked, and McKay pressed the central activation button. The wormhole connection firmly established, Sam said into her headset, "This is Atlantis calling Stargate Command. Do you read?"

There was a big dramatic pause, and then a male voice replied over the radio, /We read you, Atlantis. Good to hear from you./

Sam smiled as Rodney sighed dramatically in relief. "Great to BE heard. Tell General Landry we're back on the grid," Carter said triumphantly.

/You can tell him yourself, Colonel Carter/ Master Chief Walter Harriman's voice was heard to say. /He's right here./

/Sam, this is General Landry/ a different male voice came over the comm channel. /By any chance, is Mr. Rupert Giles and his party there with you?/

"Uh, yes sir," Carter replied in confusion, looking around at the British Watcher and his merry little band. "General, what's going on?"

/We have a bit of a situation with regards to them. The IOA has authorized their coming back to Earth right now, through the Gate/ Landry transmitted with what sounded like an annoyed tone of voice.

"But sir, surely they have to go back via the Midway Station, there's a reason we ever set it up in the first place..." Carter stammered.

"Err, what's going on?" Giles asked as he came into the Control Room, summoned there by Sam's hand gesture.

/Mr. Giles? Is that you?/ Landry's voice asked.

"Well, yes..." Rupert started to say.

/I have a personal message to deliver to you/ the USAF general said simply. /Don't ask me exactly what it means, but the message reads, "We need all of you back here right now. The Cleveland one is in danger of opening."/

"Oh dear Lord," Giles went pale. "We've, we've got to go home right this instant!" He rushed away without even saying goodbye, leaving a stunned Atlantis staff behind him. As soon as he got to the Gate Room, he shouted at his people to follow him through the Stargate, repeating the message from Landry to convince them of the seriousness of the situation.

Giles, Buffy, Rona, Belle and Faith quickly vanished through the Gate, with Vi pausing long enough only to give Xander a farewell hug and Ronon a passionate kiss goodbye. "Wow..." the former Runner looked mildly bemused at the red-haired Slayer's forwardness, then Sheppard and Teyla started ribbing him about what had just happened.

Willow lingered for a moment, locking eyes with the closest thing she had to a brother. "Please come?" the redhead asked one last time, even though she already knew what Xander's answer would be.

Indeed, Harris just shook his head sadly. "Sorry, Will. You guys have to save your part of the universe; me and my team, we have to save ours. That's just the way it is."

"Then you three all take good care of him," Willow stared at Cordelia, Jenny and Lacy determinedly.

"We will," Cordelia promised on behalf of the team, slipping an arm around her beloved's waist.

There was nothing left to say, really; with a quick goodbye, Willow turned around and went back to Earth. And as a side note, despite being Gate-sick again Miss Rosenberg almost experienced an orgasm when, in an instant, her connection to Gaia was fully restored and her magic powers were returned to her.

"Rodney?" Zelenka called out, looking at his console with some worry as the Stargate shut itself down.

"What?" the other man said, as he glanced around.

"Long range scanners have detected a massive fleet of ships being launched from the replicator homeworld," Radek said. "But they're not heading for us..."

Rodney came over and examined the screen. "That's a Wraith planet! The attack command, it must have been activated. Oh my God, the plan actually worked!"

There were scenes of ecstatic jubilation throughout Atlantis as the news quickly spread, but Xander wanted no part of them. He, Ronon and Sheppard made their way to the main balcony overlooking the ocean, the strike team members all thinking the same thing; that the price paid for their recent victory had been too high.

First Carson, and now Elizabeth – maybe. Man, the past month or so really has sucked. "You guys think there's any chance Dr. Weir's still alive?" Xander asked mournfully, staring out over the ocean.

"If she is, we'll find her," the Satedan said forcefully, before looking at Sheppard. "Right?"

"You betcha," the temporary commander of Atlantis said. "In fact, we oughta make a pact about this right now. As long as there's ANY chance Elizabeth's alive, we'll never stop looking for her. Agreed?"

"Agreed," both Xander and Ronon echoed, as all three of them swore their oath over a three-way handshake.


End file.
